Brussels, October 11th – The European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging manufacturers (FEFPEB) has announced a new public relations campaign to promote wood as the raw material of choice for pallets and packaging on behalf of its members.
Entitled ‘Packaging from Nature’, the initiative will communicate the economic and environmental benefits of timber use in packaging and pallets, particularly compared with alternative materials such as plastics. It will be active across Europe, with the aim of presenting “a powerful, accurate and consistent message” about timber use in 13 of the 14 countries represented by FEFPEB: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK.
The campaign will be in contact with the major industry and logistics magazines and online news sites across Europe, targeting packaging users and decision makers, as well as NGOs. FEFPEB is also encouraging its members to include the logo and website on their company websites, and to make use of the other resources to educate customers on the benefits of timber pallets and packaging.
The campaign resources are based online to give maximum accessibility throughout Europe, and have been launched in FEFPEB’s first language, English. They will be available in French, German, Italian and Spanish by the end of the 2011. Versions of the Packaging from Nature logo (above, right) will also be produced.
A website, www.packagingfromnature.com, has been set up featuring information about timber’s benefits for the environment; questions left unanswered about plastics, key facts and figures about timber use; as well as news, media resources, downloads and further useful links, including social media sites.
Information sheets about the benefits of timber, plastics, facts and figures, and the issue of biomass have been produced. These sheets are now available to download free of charge from the website.
Gil Covey, FEFPEB President, said: “The launch of a Europe-wide campaign is great news for the European timber packaging and pallets industry. Timber is the first choice in the manufacture of these essential products because it is better for the environment, is less expensive and sustains many more jobs – at least half a million in Europe alone – than any other packaging material.
“We estimate that €40 billion worth of product is moved on wooden packaging and pallets every year in Europe alone. In the face of increasing competition from plastics and other competing materials we need to ensure that businesses across Europe have a clear understanding of the benefits of using these materials.
“The Packaging from Nature campaign gives us a universal message and means of communicating it in countries represented by FEFPEB, through news and contact with the European press. We are encouraging our members make full use of this activity, and to use the logo and link to the website to make sure their customers are aware of the compelling environmental and economic reasons for using timber.”
Following the launch of the campaign this month, news releases will be issued to European media throughout coming the year. A press office based in the UK will handle all queries from European media.
FEFPEB currently represents more than 20 associations, which account for 1,000 companies.
Notes to Editors
FEFPEB was founded in 1946 and represents Europe in the areas of industrial packaging, pallets and lightweight packaging
For more information about the Packaging from Nature campaign, please visit www.packagingfromnature.com
For further information, questions about the campaign, images or logos, please contact:
RED Logo Square Dominic Weaver, RED Communications Ltd, on 01480 465953. Email: dominic@redcomm.co.uk
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