Australian packaging and printing industry bodies merge

In a notice to members, David Carter, current CEO of PCA, said: ‘We have worked on finding a strong and sustainable future association for the PCA and believe that the interests of the packaging industry will have greater representation and support as part of the Printing Industries Association of Australia.’

In an earlier statement, Carter was quoted as saying that the two bodies had not discussed specifically a potential name for a merged entity, but that neither was opposed to the idea of a name that reflected the industries and interests they represent, namely packaging and printing.

Carter had also stressed that joining forces with the PIAA did not mean the PCA would not be open to working with other packaging industry associations.

‘The PCA has delivered many benefits to members in the past and intends to build on these in our future strategic direction,’ he said. He listed these as, ‘advocacy, product stewardship schemes, legal representation, education, training, forums, materials, standards, food contact and safety, risk identification, environmental accreditation, to name just a few.’

It is known that discussions were held with PIAA CEO Andrew Macauley at the recent Melbourne PacPrint trade show and that he is reported as feeling positive about the move.