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A recent speech by APC's Ron Yocum calls for active promotion of plastics to combat the recent rash of negative publicity. By Karen Koenig
Will PVC toys harm children? What about intravenous bag safety? Plastic packaging? And now the newest debate: the safety of clear plastic baby bottles? Ways to combat these and other panic-strewn messages were the topic of American Plastics Council President/ CEO Ron Yocum's presentation at May's ANTEC held in New York. According to Yocum, the plastics industry must "be as active as the activists" in fighting this negative publicity. "We need to get out in the streets because plastics are being targeted in an aggressive PR campaign. This campaign stems from a dedicated, motivated and media-savvy coalition of activist organizations. These groups are united in their mistrust of our industry &emdash; and of industry in general. "Many of these activists seem to equate industry growth with automatic harm to the environment. As the nation's fourth largest and fastest-growing industry, plastics make a pretty attractive target. And make no mistake about it &emdash; we are a target." One way to combat the negative publicity is to talk up the benefits of plastics. Available from APC, the Talk It Up kit includes fact sheets on the latest plastics-related issues. Another way to drive the message home &emdash; literally &emdash; is through the PlastiVan, a traveling educational exhibit by the National Plastics Center and Museum. It features hands-on experiments to help children understand the variety and versatility of plastics. To find out more about these and other methods, contact the APC at(202) 974-5381. Your actions will help. Mark the date: Just a reminder, keeping plastics fabricators and machinists abreast of leading-edge technology is the goal of the "1st Plastics Machining & Fabricating Conference," set for Oct. 20-22 at the Holiday Inn City Centre, Chicago, IL. The seminar is sponsored by PM&F and will include discussions of: thermoforming, routing and trimming, sawing, finishing and cutting tool technology. For more information contact either myself or Harry Urban, PM&F publisher, at (847) 634-4347. To receive a brochure or exhibit information, please contact the Industrial Division Conference Office at (630) 323-7214 or (888) 903-9663. Introducing our editorial board: I would like to take this opportunity to welcome PM&F's editorial board. Consisting of seven industry experts, the board's role will be to review articles which have appeared in the pages of the magazine as well as help determine future topics for issues. Participating on the board are: • Kress Schwartz, DSM Engineering Plastic Products • Gary Orenstein, Eastman Chemical • Roger Fox, The Foxmor Group • Kurt Rohde, Onsrud Cutter • Ken Susnjara, Thermwood Corp. • Keith Card, Komo Machine • William Pitt, Holzma=U.S. In addition to expressing my appreciation of the board's efforts, I would also like to encourage anyone interested to give his or her input with regards to the magazine's content and direction. I can be reached at: (847) 634-4347, FAX: (847) 634-4379; e-mail: kmkoenig96@aol.com. I look forward to hearing from you. Click here to go to
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