Packaging: MSU wins $400,000 to create packaging innovation, sustainability center

Coca-Cola recently awarded $400,000 to MSU's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to help establish a new Center for Packaging Innovation and Sustainability.

By staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 1/30/2009 9:59:00 AM

Improving the global sustainability of product packaging took a step forward with a new collaboration proposed by The Coca-Cola Company and Michigan State University. Coca-Cola recently awarded $400,000 to MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to help establish a new Center for Packaging Innovation and Sustainability.

The planned center, to be housed in the MSU School of Packaging, will serve as a think tank for packaging innovation and sustainability and a research and education hub to measure and reduce packaging’s environmental impact. The Coca-Cola grant represents the initiating gift in a campaign to establish the global center.

The center will involve the MSU colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources (School of Packaging), Engineering and the Eli Broad College of Business (Department of Supply Chain Management). 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.

“The center 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,” said Satish Udpa, dean of the MSU College of Engineering. “The center will be a clearinghouse that disseminates information and encourages action that speeds the adoption and implementation of sustainable practices.”

“By bringing together university and industry resources in supply chain, packaging and engineering, this center will be able to effectively address issues of sustainability, discover environmentally and economically operative solutions and consider new ways to manage environmental impact throughout the value chain,” said Elvin Lashbrooke, interim dean of the Eli Broad College of Business. 

The center will include state-of-the-art technology for bench research and testing of packaging materials and will offer academic, outreach and continuing education programs. It is anticipated to eventually expand its reach internationally through research, development, education and training facilities in Dubai and Shanghai.