Tánaiste Officially Opens Pakex Ireland '98 And Presents Irish Packaging Awards

Mary Harney, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment today (Wednesday, 23rd September 1998) officially opened Pakex Ireland '98 in the RDS, Dublin and presented the 1998 Irish Packaging Awards.

Speaking at the opening the Tánaiste encouraged those in the packaging industry to pay attention to environmental and safety issues and said, "Environmental and safety improvements are important factors within the packaging sector, as attention to both makes sound commercial sense. Integration of these considerations throughout all activities is vitally important. I know that there has been an increase in awareness of environment related issues in recent years and the packaging industry faces special challenges for waste recovery and recycling. As players in the packaging industry you have a vital role to play in this area. I take this opportunity to ask you to recognise the difference you can make and to act accordingly."

Held every two years, Pakex Ireland is the country's largest packaging exhibition. There are over 200 exhibitors taking part in the event with an expected attendance of some 3000 visitors. It is a valuable medium for keeping appraised of technical and other competitive developments in the industry, and for facilitating new business-to-business supply linkages.

The packaging industry in Ireland is predominantly indigenous with only a small number of overseas companies. The sector, composed of over 100 companies employing 4,500 has an annual output of £420m.

It continues to make a significant contribution to the Irish economy. The Irish market is the largest outlet for Irish made packaging products, accounting for 83% of domestic production. The spectrum of the industry ranges from packaging and printing to publishing and new media.

The Irish Packaging Awards, organised by the Institute of Packaging Ireland in association with Enterprise Ireland, are presented at Pakex Ireland. This year, awards were made in four categories; Consumer Packaging Award; Transport Packaging Award; Environmental Award; Graphic Design Award. The latter two awards reflect the growing importance of these regulatory and quality issues in today's markets.