The Strive Group honored for corrugated packaging design

The Strive Group, an integrated merchandising supply chain company servicing the retail and consumer packaged goods sector, has received three awards at the 15th Annual International Corrugated Packaging Design Competition. The competition, hosted by the Association of Independent Corrugated Converters, recognizes independent packaging converters for exceeding customer expectations on packaging designs and displays. The Strive Group was recognized with three awards within the standee and floor display categories; PepsiCo-Frito Lay's Green Lantern display and Multi Packaging Solutions' Call of Duty display took first and second, respectively, for standee displays, while PepsiCo's School Bus took third in the floor displays category.

FDA to hold cosmetic microbiological safety meeting
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition will hold a public meeting in Washington, D.C., on November 30, 2011, to discuss microbiological safety issues relevant to cosmetic products. The purpose of the meeting is to provide stakeholders an opportunity to present information to the agency regarding a variety of cosmetic microbiological safety issues, including microbiological testing of cosmetics; types of preservative systems and how to test their effectiveness; the identity and prevalence of microorganisms that pose specific health risks in finished products; and other concerns. The CFSAN Office of Cosmetic and Colors (the CFSAN office convening the meeting) is responsible for the federal regulation of cosmetic products in the U.S.

Lindal Group names Lever global sales director
Lindal Group (which makes valves, actuators and spray caps for aerosol products) has appointed Phil Lever to the position of Global Sales Director, the company announced today. In this role, Lever will lead worldwide initiatives to develop and grow sales opportunities for Lindal products in all applications, including cosmetics, household, pharmaceuticals, food industry and the technical industry. He will report directly to Francois-Xavier Gilbert, the Group CEO, and will be based in the UK.

Paperboard firm invests in lowering carbon emissions
Over the last two years, paperboard manufacturer Iggesund Paperboard has earmarked € 361 million (approximately $494 million) to revamp the energy systems at its mills in Iggesund, Sweden and Workington, England. The company is installing the latest energy technology so that both mills will operate exclusively on biofuel. "We're increasing efficiency and ensuring our long-term energy supply," explains Guy Mallinson, director of sales to the graphic and packaging sector in Europe. "In this context it's natural for us to move to bioenergy because there's a risk that fossil fuels will become scarcer and more expensive in the future, not least due to political targets for lower fossil carbon emissions."

Lab tests confirm Oshenite is renewable
Glen Norton of the USDA testing Laboratory at Iowa State University submitted the results of a August 31, 2011 standard test for renewable sources, which showed 62% of tested samples were formed in the last 3-5 years. The findings indicate that the material-used in bio-based, sustainable packaging materials-is highly renewable and can continually regenerate.

KapStone completes purchase of U.S. Corrugated
KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp. has completed the purchase of U.S. Corrugated Inc., which operates a recycled containerboard paper mill in South Carolina; specific financial terms of the sale were not disclosed. KapStone announced it paid for the acquisition with cash and borrowing from a new $525 million credit facility led by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Barclays Capital. U.S. Corrugated owns the containerboard mill in Cowpens, S.C., and 14 converting facilities in the East and Midwest.
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