Ameripen is a new packaging trade organization created by several major U.S. corporations that’s modeled after Europen and Incpen, the European and British counterparts, respectively. The group says it will advocate packaging policy developments in North America and measures that are environmentally and economically sound as well as socially responsible.

A new organization called Ameripen was formed to "represent the interests of the industry, which includes raw material producers, packaging manufacturers, packaging users and fillers, retailers and material recovery organizations.”

The organization says it has a material-neutral approach and hopes to encourage science-based decision-making on sustainable packaging initiatives, and provide a point of view and assistance to policy makers and thought leaders on the value and role of packaging.

Corporate founders include Coca-Cola Co., Tetra-Pak, Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg Co., ConAgra Foods, Dow Chemical Co., DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers, MeadWestvaco and Sealed Air Corp.

Gail Tavill, who works for ConAgra’s sustainability group, is Ameripen’s vice president. "With the emergence of extended producer responsibility and other potential packaging legislation in the coming years, this is a critical time for our industry to offer a compelling voice," she says. "We're committed to providing necessary expertise and insight to ensure sustainable management of packaging throughout its life cycle.”