The
EPS Industry Alliance(www.epsindustry.org) has been established as a new
trade association to represent the expanded polystyrene (EPS) industry. The EPS
Molders Association (EPSMA) and the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers
(AFPR), two separate organizations previously representing distinct EPS market
segments, have consolidated their resources to create an organization that will
represent the entire industry. In addition to EPSMA and AFPR, the Plastic Loose
Fill Council (PLFC) has also been integrated in to the EPS Industry Alliance.
“After
years of working separately, often towards common goals, consolidating EPSMA
and AFPR just made sense,” says EPS Industry Alliance Executive Director Betsy
Steiner. “We see tremendous potential for this merger to advance the EPS
industry”. Prior to consolidating, EPSMA and AFPR represented EPS building and
construction and packaging applications, respectively. While these areas embody
the majority of EPS use, growth in other fields – such as automotive parts,
manufacturing components and safety equipment – made a strong case for the EPS
industry to begin operating in tandem. Many companies, e.g. Dunkin’ Donuts and
Walmart, use EPS across a broad range of their operations, making a compelling
case to provide a central resource on the various EPS uses and applications.
Providing this resource will support the EPS Industry Alliance (EPS-IA) mission
to advance innovative EPS product solutions that contribute to a sustainable
future.
The
combined strength and experience of EPMSA and AFPR will create an organization
well attuned to serve a field as broad as the EPS industry itself, which is
comprised of companies with a wide range of product solutions. EPS product
information will be more streamlined and accessible for EPS end users. The new
EPS-IA website, www.epsindustry.org, will serve as the go-to source for
EPS information and provides resources for everyone from architects to
packaging engineers and recycling professionals. The organization will continue
to dedicate resources to specific interest areas but will now have the ability
to address important industry-wide issues with a single voice
The
EPS Industry Alliance has employed an entirely new governance model to provide
maximum effectiveness and flexibility in support of key EPS industry
initiatives. The board of directors, chaired by Bob Butkus of Atlas EPS, gains
its strength from a wide representation of members throughout the EPS supply
chain and is better aligned with today’s marketplace trends. Several new
committees will manage issues that will benefit from more specialized
representation. The EPS Sustainability Committee is already in place and will
oversee key environmental programs such as life cycle analysis, green building,
and recycling. Specific EPS applications, such as structural insulated panels
and insulating concrete forms, will form special interest groups to further
advance these unique applications.
The
EPS EXPO, long run jointly by EPSMA and AFPR, will take place next week in
Indianapolis as the official launch ceremony of the EPS Industry Alliance.
