published on 03/02/09
The Coca-Cola Company has awarded $400,000 to Michigan State University's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to help establish a new centre for Packaging Innovation and Sustainability.
The centre will serve as a think tank for packaging innovation and sustainability, and as a research and education hub to measure and reduce packaging’s environmental impact.
It will provide a platform for both collaborative, non-proprietary research and proprietary work conducted by industry partners, both in partnership with and independent of MSU researchers, to develop innovative packaging solutions that reduce production costs and improve sustainability.
Satish Udpa, dean of the MSU College of Engineering, said: The centre will offer an entry point for industry to have easy access to MSU expertise. It will serve as a bridge between corporate and packaging industry professionals and university scientists in engineering, packaging, business, the environment and other areas.
The centre will include state-of-the-art technology for the research and testing of packaging materials and will offer academic, outreach and continuing education programmes.
It will eventually expand its reach internationally through research, development, education and training facilities in Dubai and Shanghai.

Read the full article at Packagingnews.co.uk