DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers (P&IP) today announced that in an industry first, winners of its long-running DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation will be announced via a global virtual forum that will include exchanges with leading industry experts on sustainable packaging as well as with the prestigious international panel of jurors who selected this year’s winners from over 120 entries from around the world.
Registration now has opened for the DuPont Sustainable Packaging Exchange which takes place May 28, 2009, at 10-11 AM EDT.  Participants can register at http://performancematerials.veplatform.com.

“We invite those with interest in sustainable packaging to join us and this year’s winners in exchanging views on key topics such as solutions for end of life,” said Shanna Moore, sustainability director for DuPont P&IP.  “In addition, participants will learn about the winning companies’ achievements in improving the sustainability of products and processes.”

The DuPont Sustainable Packaging Exchange will kick off with the announcement of the 21st DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation winners and will be followed by scheduled sessions on the need for global packaging standards and on visions for end-of-life solutions.

Available on-demand throughout the event will be the Sustainable Packaging Resource Center with downloadable information and links to useful tools, profiles of DuPont Award winners, including jurors evaluation and perspectives from the winners on improving the sustainability of their packaging, and open chat and chat rooms where participants can network and learn.  For more information, on the DuPont Sustainable Packaging Exchange go to http://packaging.dupont.com.

DuPont has a broad portfolio of sustainable solutions for packaging.  Energy and greenhouse gas reductions can be achieved with DuPont™ Cyrel® FAST solventless platemaking systems and with renewably sourced materials such as the recently introduced DuPont™ Biomax® PTT resins and DuPont™ Biomax® TPS thermoplastics starch-based materials..  Materials including DuPont™ Surlyn® can help reduce the amount and weight of packaging that is needed to protect products.

DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals 19 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets.