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First Onsite Presents Live Burn and Education Seminar

First Onsite Property Restoration to co-host a Live Burn and Education Seminar!




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First Onsite Presents Live Burn and Education Seminar in Freeport, Illinois

Join First Onsite and FireTech Inc. for a unique opportunity to witness live fire training and enhance your fire safety knowledge at the Live Burn and Education Seminar in Freeport, Illinois, on September 30!




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How To Apply Fire Cleaning Principles: The Chemistry of Smoke and Soot Removal

Discover the chemistry of fire cleaning with this in-depth guide. Learn how solvents, chemical reactions and other scientific principles can transform soot-stained surfaces.




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Video: Inside BenQ's Gaming Projectors and the New X3000i

ProjectorCentral editor Rob Sabin sits down with Jeffrey Hsieh, BenQ Director of Consumer Projector Business for North America, to discuss the evolution of BenQ's gaming projectors and the cutting-edge tech in the new X3000i 4K LED gaming projector.



  • Home Theater Projectors


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Please watch!! ABC 27 talks of PA woman’s efforts to strengthen penalties for those who encourage others to commit suicide; PCC has worked on this bill as well

https://www.abc27.com/investigators/shawns-law-york-county-mom-fights-for-tougher-penalties-against-those-who-encourage-others-to-take-their-own-life/?fbclid=IwAR2vuraueQvuG0cAOXMuLd8uw9zWUIqA4Kbvm61m3x4aE_UIOM1ewT_WBfU




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PA House Judiciary Committee Passes Human Trafficking bills

The PA House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday passed 8 bills designed to combat human trafficking. Here are highlights as we shared them on Twitter. The PCC has long supported such legislation. PA House Judiciary Committee this morning passed 8 bills with strong bipartisan support that are designed to fight the crime of human trafficking. The PCC has long supported such measures. We talked with committee Chair Rep. Rob Kauffman after the vote. @PAHouseGOP @PaHouseDems pic.twitter.com/FF7POQKYL4 — PAcatholic (@PAcatholic) April 20, 2021 A package of 8 bills was passed this morning by the PA House Judiciary Committee to combat human trafficking in PA. The package included HB 246 by Rep. Natalie Mihalek. She talked about the bill prior to the vote. @PAHouseGOP @RepMihalek pic.twitter.com/VYPJc2NSpR — PAcatholic (@PAcatholic) April 20, 2021 Rep. Meghan Schroeder explains her bill on human trafficking, HB 580, to the PA House Judiciary Committee. The bill passed this morning and we hope it will soon be considered by the full House. The PCC supports these human trafficking bills. @PAHouseGOP pic.twitter.com/SRD61DojSF — PAcatholic (@PAcatholic) April 20, 2021 Rep. Craig Williams is the prime sponsor of HB 1130, a measure designed to fight human trafficking that passed the PA House Judiciary Committee this morning. Williams talked about his bill and about his background. @PAHouseGOP pic.twitter.com/3T3xPPG1CX — PAcatholic (@PAcatholic) April 20, 2021 PCC has long supported legislation to fight human trafficking. That has carried over into the package of bills that was passed today out of committee dealing with that crime. Here, Rep. Marci Mustello, sponsor of HB 231, addresses House Judiciary Comm. @PAHouseGOP @Marci4PA11 pic.twitter.com/7tbM8o6Iwy — PAcatholic (@PAcatholic) April 20, 2021 Rep. Barry Jozwiak addresses the PA House Judiciary Committee prior to the vote on his human trafficking bill, HB 753. The bill was passed along with 7 other bills designed to combat human trafficking. The PCC has long supported such legislation. @PAHouseGOP pic.twitter.com/AWJWRL8Vmk — PAcatholic (@PAcatholic) April 20, 2021          




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Bishop McCort High School Principal Tom Smith Says EITC Program Has Been a Big Help

The new state budget includes a $75-million increase in money for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program. In case you’re not familiar with the EITC, it has been a great help to Catholic schools and other private institutions. As the Pennsylvania Resources Council explains, eligible businesses and individuals can receive tax credits equal to 75% of their contribution, or 90% if they agree to do it for two years. One of the biggest supporters of the EITC program is Bishop McCort Catholic High School Principal Tom Smith. “The EITC component has been a game-changer for our school,” Smith told us. “Not just for Bishop McCort, but mainly for our families. It allows those families who might not be able to afford it, to actually come here. I can tell you firsthand that it has changed the lives of several of the kids that have come into this building over the last few years. I would say that it has impacted hundreds of kids. About 70% of our kids get EITC funding.” Critics of the program, which include many Democratic lawmakers in Harrisburg, say the program is exploited by well-to-do families who really don’t need the money. Smith that is simply not true from his perspective. “The concept that EITC dollars go to rich families so that they can send their kids here so they can more money at home…that is so false,” he said. “Our school resides in one of the poorest cities in Pennsylvania—in the greater Johnstown School District– and we have a lot of the kids from the city come to our school. I would say almost every one of them get EITC dollars.” But not everyone that goes to McCort gets the financing. “There’s a qualifier for EITC for what a family brings in in terms of income,” Smith said. “Not all of our families meet that standard. We will show you that it is not going to kids of better means. There are kids of poverty that struggle every single day, but their parents want them to be to have more opportunities in life and move forward in life and the EITC program has done that.” Many schools reach out to members of the community to try to get them to participate in the EITC program. But it’s easy for anyone to initiate the process. “We actually have a person here, within our school—that is their job, to do outreach for EITC,” Smith said. “She has a pamphlet that she sends out teaching people how they can become involved. It’s not that cumbersome. It’s just a one-page sheet. They fill that out, return it to us and then we send it to the state.”




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Talking with Sarah Bowen of The Promise of Life Network: Getting the Real Story about Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Sarah Bowen of the Promise of Life Network crisis pregnancy center near Pittsburgh talked with me about the motivation behind the campaign by abortion advocates against the work these centers do, which is to provide women with support during an unplanned pregnancy. https://x.com/PAcatholic/status/1703790777099235616?s=20   https://fb.watch/nccvJtmh6p/?mibextid=cr9u03  




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Maternal & Early Childhood Issues: Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank

We continue our series on Maternal & Early Childhood Issues with more on the subject of breastfeeding. For the next several days we will look at the important work being done by the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank and how the PCC is looking to help them. https://fb.watch/dv4YBuc3qS/ https://twitter.com/PAcatholic/status/1532416678121857025?s=20&t=6XAnUbQUJooExYYWxkr1WQ  




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PA House Committee Passes Human Donor Milk Bill That’s Supported by PCC

The PA House Health Committee today unanimously passed Senate Bill 500, which calls for Medicaid coverage of human donor milk. The milk is vitally important for many newborns suffering from health issues. The PCC supports this issue. It has already passed the Senate and just needs approval by the full House. Here are the Facebook and X links for the two stories we ran. https://fb.watch/nLLsZciiLe/?mibextid=cr9u03 https://fb.watch/nLLsZciiLe/?mibextid=cr9u03 https://x.com/pacatholic/status/1714669965268193289?s=46&t=BhvQl7L4iZmDeA-ftim4Og https://x.com/pacatholic/status/1714667221551587757?s=46&t=BhvQl7L4iZmDeA-ftim4Og    




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PA House Speaker Mike Turzai Applauds Appeals Court Ruling in Prayer Case

PA Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) is praising a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals which will uphold the traditional practice of having a session-opening prayer. “We are pleased that the Third Circuit has found that our prayer complies with the United States Constitution,” Turzai said, “and has issued a precedent setting decision entirely in the House’s favor. As a result, we expect the House to be able to resume its tradition of welcoming guest chaplains as it has in the past.” In 2016 a group of atheists and other non-believers sued the House, claiming their exclusion as guest chaplains violated the Constitution. The plaintiffs also challenged the presiding officer’s traditional request to rise for the prayer and the pledge to the flag. Last year, a federal judge in Harrisburg ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and limited the practice to member-led prayers. But the House appealed. Late last month a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit ruled in the House’s favor on all counts. “By a 2-1 vote the panel held the House’s prayer practices were constitutional because they fit within the long history of legislative prayer in this country,” Turzai said. “The majority explained that ‘only theistic prayer can satisfy the historical purpose of appealing for divine guidance in lawmaking.’” Turzai said the panel ruled 3-0 that it is constitutional and not coercive to request that guests stand for the prayer and the pledge.              




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House Committee Approves Measure Condemning Child Pornography

The Health Committee within the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has approved a resolution which condemns the free availability of pornography based on the public health hazard that it presents by harming children and families across the Commonwealth. “It’s a public awareness resolution,” said Chairman Matt Baker (R-Tioga). With the resolution, Pennsylvania joins nineteen other states that have passed or introduced a similar measure. “Most people understand pornography is bad, and child pornography is particularly bad,” continued Baker. The resolution cites that due to advances in technology, young children are now exposed to pornography at alarming rates, with as many as 27% of older millennials reporting that they first encountered explicit pornography before even reaching puberty. “As someone with two small daughters, I think that it’s something we owe a certain amount of time and effort to look at,” said Rep. Eli Evankovich (R-WestmorelandAllegheny). House Resolution 519 also encourages a three-pronged approach to confronting this issue with education, prevention and research and policy change at the community and social levels. Prior to the vote, Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) stated that her intent is to “make sure that families are aware of this issue, that it is a concern and it can become, if it not already is, a public health crisis.”




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Mid-Session Legislative Wrap Up

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is taking a mid-session break and will resume session late in January 2018. 2017 was a very busy year and more issues are on the horizon for 2018. Here is the status of the several high priority bills that are on the legislative agenda of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. Bills That Made It Through Several bills made it all the way through the legislative process in 2017. One bright spot in the difficult, prolonged budget debate was a $10 million expansion of Educational Improvement Tax Credits (EITC) which will benefit more students in Catholic schools. The Pennsylvania General Assembly took a strong pro-life stand to ban barbaric dismemberment abortions and abortions when the unborn baby is able to feel pain (20 weeks). Both the Senate and the House passed Senate Bill 3 with overwhelming majorities. Unfortunately, Governor Tom Wolf vetoed the measure and there was no vote to override. Governor Wolf did however sign House Bill 1139 into law. This law adds fire stations to the list of safe places where a newborn baby may be placed without penalty. Police stations and hospitals are also safe havens. Incubators will be placed in participating locations to hopefully prevent babies being abandoned in dumpsters or public restrooms. The legislature reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but not without controversy. An amendment to correct regulations that allow coverage for sex reassignment surgeries for children was taken out of the final bill that went to the governor’s desk. The Pennsylvania Catholic Health Association and PCC will look for ways to address this again without compromising a valuable program that has given thousands of children access to health care. Legislation to address the statewide opioid crisis was signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf. Senate Bill 446 establishes state-regulated minimum quality standards for the licensure of recovery houses that receive funding or referrals from government agencies. This new law is welcomed by the recovery houses operated by many Catholic Charities agencies within Pennsylvania’s Catholic dioceses. The governor also signed the “Right to Try” Act into law which will provide terminally ill patients the opportunity to try experimental treatments, such as investigatory drugs, biological products and medical devices. It will allow access to treatments that have not been fully approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Issues Left To Do There is much more work left to do in 2018. Legislation to create Education Savings Accounts (ESA) is being considered. Senate Bill 2 would give families that live in the boundaries of a chronically underperforming school a grant in the amount of the average state funding per pupil if they withdraw their students from public school. The money could only be used for tuition and expenses in a participating private school, for tutors, or other education expenses. The money would come out of the local school’s state subsidy; any unused dollars would return to the local school. Senate Resolution 174 and House Resolution 609 each condemn the practice of selectively aborting babies with Down syndrome. Although resolutions do not have the force of law, they are useful gestures for raising awareness. Another resolution, HR 519, condemns the free availability of pornography because of the public health hazard it causes to children and families across the Commonwealth. It passed the House Health Committee in November and should be taken up on the House floor soon. The Pennsylvania Catholic Health Association is reviewing legislation that would govern the use of POLST, Physician’s Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment. Senate Bill 623 and House Bill 1196 similarly outline how and when someone would use a POLST in an end-of-life situation. The concern lies in whether or not a qualifying condition must be present for a POLST order to be signed. Beyond these moral issues, the PCC is tracking legislation that tackles social justice concerns as well. House Bill 1076 would create a land bank of blighted properties and transform them into safe housing for the homeless. With opioid addiction continuing its terrible toll on every community, more legislation will be considered including House Bill 825. This bill provides for a central registry of existing emergency drug and alcohol detoxification beds so health care facilities can better serve people with a substance abuse crisis. This is by no means an exhaustive list of public policy issues that the Catholic Conference will review and advocate. Sexual orientation non-discrimination, access to health care, threats to religious liberty, and other proposals are all potential issues on the radar. For a list of the PCC’s positions on specific legislative proposals, log on and check out: www.pacatholic.org/legislative-review.




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Judge to hear foster families targeted by City of Philadelphia City’s harmful new policy

According to the religious liberty advocacy group Becket, Philadelphia-based foster families will be in court Monday fighting to end a new City of Philadelphia policy that is currently leaving numerous foster homes empty. In Sharonell Fulton, et al. v. City of Philadelphia, the City issued a new policy barring Catholic Social Services from placing children with foster families, solely because the City disagrees with the agency’s religious beliefs. That policy is causing serious problems for foster kids and families, and Catholic Social Services has asked a court for an urgent ruling by June 30. In March, the City of Philadelphia issued an?urgent call for 300?new foster parents to provide loving homes for some of the over 6,000 kids in Philadelphia foster care. That same month, the City abruptly barred Catholic Social Services, one of the city’s top-rated foster agencies, from placing children with foster parents like Sharonell Fulton, who has fostered over 40 kids in the last 25 years. This decision makes it exponentially harder for hundreds of children in need of foster care to find homes. Represented by Becket, Sharonell Fulton, Cecelia Paul, Toni Simms-Busch, and Catholic Social Services are asking the court to halt the City’s harmful policy and allow kids to be placed in a loving home.   What:  Oral Argument in Sharonell Fulton et. al. v. City of Philadelphia   Who:  Lori Windham, senior attorney at Becket Philadelphia foster families  When:  Monday, June 18 at 2:00 p.m. EST (arguments are expected to go three hours)   Where:  U.S. District Court 601 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa.    ###  Becket is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions?and has a 100% win-rate before the United States?Supreme Court.?For over 20 years, it has successfully defended clients of all faiths, including?Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Native Americans, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians?(read more here). 




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Adopting sustainable urban development measures for continued economic growth

Associate Professor of Humanities Winston Chow from SMU’s School of Social Sciences has researched on the areas of urban vulnerability to climate change; sustainability in urban climatology; and perceptions of environmental and climate change in tourism. In recent years, he has published papers on the impact of weather extremes on urban resilience to hydro-climate hazards and trans-boundary variations of urban drought vulnerability and its impact on water resource management in Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. In this podcast, Associate Professor Chow will discuss the continued economic growth of a city by adopting sustainable urban development measures.




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Scrutinising financial information on Twitter & detecting misreporting

Assistant Professor Richard Crowley from SMU’s School of Accountancy examines financial accounting using both archival and analytical methods for his research. Much of his archival work deals with large sets of unstructured data using high-powered computing algorithms to address accounting issues that are otherwise infeasible to approach. He has recently written two research articles on using a machine learning technique to assess the content of companies’ disclosures. In this podcast, he discusses how fraud and misreporting can be detected by studying a company’s financial statement using a machine learning technique, and shares how companies disclose financial information on Twitter, and how feedback from investors and others can influence this.




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Podcast Rick Smith - Diversity, Inclusion And Belonging Key Successful Teams And Organisations

Building on research conducted in 2018 on the clear and positive link between high levels of psychological safety and a strong teamwork culture, Richard Smith, Professor of Strategic Management and Deputy Dean (Programmes) at the SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business, has now dug deeper by focusing on diversity. How does closing the gender gap within organisations in Asian countries impact overall company performance? Are employees more productive, or less, with a sense of belonging to the workplace? In this podcast, Professor Smith discusses the key findings of his research conducted in collaboration with consultancy group Great Place to Work Institute Singapore. The rigorous study, one of the largest in Asia to highlight gender differences, surveyed over 400,000 employees from more than 800 organisations located across eight countries in the Asia Pacific.




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The economic & environmental implications of biomass

Global warming and climate change have created an unprecedented global interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially in energy production. Biomass, or organic matter, which is a renewable energy source that can replace fossil fuels in energy production is gaining popularity. Consequently, commercialising agricultural residues as biomass is gaining momentum in many countries. In a pioneering study, Onur Boyabatli, Associate Professor of Operations Management and DBS Sustainability Fellow at SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business, together with Assistant Professor of Operations Management Buket Avci, and PhD student Li Bin, studied the economic and environmental implications of biomass commercialisation in agricultural processing industries. In this podcast, Associate Professor Boyabatli shares his insights into this trending subject and the policy implications of their research findings.




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SMU City Perspectives with Associate Professor Michelle Lim

As the climate crisis looms, how can we build a more sustainable future? While the establishment of the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) provides a helpful compass to achieve sustainability, they tend to be viewed and applied in isolation from each other. This glosses over what sustainability really means for those most vulnerable to its impacts. In this podcast, SMU Associate Professor Michelle Lim demystifies the dense jargon of the UN SDGs, and argues how viewing them as a set of integrated and interconnected goals is essential to empower us to chart a meaningful path forward for the planet and people. [About the SMU CP Podcast Series] SMU City Perspectives brings together researchers from Singapore Management University (SMU) for insightful conversations exploring the pivotal trends in digital transformation, growth in Asia, and sustainable living. Get inspired and discover solutions that will help you drive more impact in your work and shape the future of cities.




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PCC Gaming Club

11/15/2024 - 12:00 PM - Venue: Pueblo Community College




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Open Mic Comedy Show

11/14/2024 - 10:00 PM - Venue: Rainbow Bar




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Open Mic/Variety Jam

11/14/2024 - 9:00 PM - Venue: Riverside Bar and Grill




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Rolling River Open Mic

11/14/2024 - 5:30 PM - Venue: Coyote Grille




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Open Mic

11/13/2024 - 7:00 PM - Venue: VFW Post 5812




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Holy Family Men's Group

11/13/2024 - 7:00 PM - Venue: Holy Family Church




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Bisisthal: a one million tonne rock slope collapse in Switzerland

On 30 July 2023 a one million tonne rock slope collapse occurred close to Bisisthal in Switzerland. It was captured on several videos, which show the initial pillar collapses and the transition to a rapid rock avalanche.




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US water reservoirs are shrinking and becoming less reliable




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Sounding Saturn’s depths with its seismic icy rings

The secrets of Saturn's veiled interior are leaking out by way of the planet's spectacular rings, according to a line of research that has taken four decades to come to fruition. In the last few years, what was first considered a sort of wacky hypothesis – that scientists can use Saturn’s rings to learn about  its structure -- has turned into a singular window into Saturn's surprisingly fluid and leviathan depths.

The post Sounding Saturn’s depths with its seismic icy rings appeared first on GeoSpace.





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Hormel to Sell Muscle Milk Products to PepsiCo

Hormel Foods Corp. said it is selling its CytoSport business, including Muscle Milk products, to PepsiCo. CytoSport got its start marketing its protein-packed powders to weightlifters before developing ready-to-drink bottled products sold in groceries and other stores.




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UPM Specialty Papers and Michelman Develop Trio of Sustainable Packaging Solutions

All three structures have been tested for recyclability according to the PTS RH 021/97 Cat II method.




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General Mills Involved with Pet Food Delivery Service

New York-based Pet Plate has raised $9 million in a Series A round co-led by 301 Inc., the venture capital arm of Golden Valley-based General Mills. Other investors included DFE Capital Management, Marco Polo and Fernbrook Capital Management, along with existing investors, The Yard Ventures and Castor Ventures. 




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DS Smith Announces Five-Year Sole Supplier Deal with Mondelēz for European Markets

The two companies will continue to use DS Smith Circular Design Metrics when co-creating new packaging innovations.




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Domino Sugar Celebrates its 120th Anniversary with a New Look

Changes include new seals on all products indicating Non-GMO Project verification as well as a how-to-recycle logo.




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Key Considerations for Designing a Retort System for Shelf-Stable Food Packaged in Flexible and Semi-Rigid Containers

From filling to sterilizing, flexible packaging must be handled differently than rigid containers.




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Molded Fiber Labeling for round fiber molded tubs to premiere at interpack

A glue-free label solution, Molded Fiber Labeling involves 100% mono-material packaging that can be fully recycled or composted.




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Why are Maryland and Illinois recognized as forthcoming EPR states?

AMERIPEN’s Dan Felton lauds both Maryland and Illinois for fostering productive discussions and collaboration among industry, environmental groups, and the government with respect to EPR and any future laws.




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Appearances shouldn’t be misleading when it comes to sustainable packaging

Businesses are seeking innovative ways to reduce their environmental impact and invest in sustainability. A Gartner survey found that 87% of business leaders plan to increase their sustainability investment in the next two years. There is pressure from investors, supply chains, and consumers to make more sustainable decisions.




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Case Study: BMP Medical Optimizes Packaging with Shawpak

BMP Medical first met Shawpak at MD&M West Pack 2024 while seeking a small footprint thermoforming packaging machine.




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Neopac to Debut Polyfoil® Mono-Material Barrier (MMB) Mini tubes at CPHI Milan

Now available in downsized diameters of 13.5-16mm, the tiny tubes expand Neopac’s award-winning line of high-barrier mono-material solutions, and amount to a significant advancement in sustainability-minded high-barrier packaging technology.




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TriMas Packaging to Showcase Sustainable Innovations at Beautyworld Middle East

The event is expected to attract more than 70,000 visitors and 2,000 exhibitors, making it an excellent opportunity to connect with industry leaders and explore the latest developments in the Middle East’s beauty industry.




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The First Neuromarketing Service that Optimizes the Impact of Packaging on Consumers

ANALYTICA, a behavioral sciences-based company in Edinburgh, as launched the first service that optimizes packaging using consumer psychology and neuroscience-led customer tests.




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LINDAL Group and APS Collaborate to Create miniMist

miniMist is a dispensing system designed to offer a reusable and sustainable alternative to the existing aerosol format.




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Colgate-Palmolive Launches Softsoap Foaming Hand Soap Tablets

The reuse and refill tablets can help reduce plastic bottle waste. 




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Cleancult Debuts Home Care Products Packaged in Aluminum at Walmart, Albertsons

The refillable aluminum line pairs with Cleancult’s game-changing 100% recyclable paper-based refill cartons to remove 90% of plastic waste from cleaning rituals.




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Graham Packaging Optimizes Lightweighting and Sustainability with AccuStrength

Targeted plastic placement results in a lighter, stronger container that maximizes performance and minimizes environmental impact.




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Packaging Recycling Summit to help drive sustainability goals

Packaging Recycling Summit, September 16–18 in Anaheim, Calif., features a multi-day educational program for all stakeholders in packaging’s circular supply chain.




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Sun Chemical Showcases UV-LED Printing Solutions at BOBST Grand Opening Event

Sun Chemical’s SolarWave Integra and SolarWave FSP are both UV-LED curing ink solutions designed to meet diverse printing needs.




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Video: Highlighting The Home Depot’s Sustainability Commitments

The Home Depot has spent the past several years reducing waste by eliminating hard-to-recycle materials, and those efforts continue.