The Packaging R&D Center, a flagship project of the Department of Science and Technology envisions to strengthen the over-all competitiveness of Philippine products, thus enhancing the socio-economic growth of the country.

1. The Role of Packaging in National Development
   • Packaging is the leading edge ingredient in economic development and sustainability. Trade can not progress without packaging. It allows for the orderly and economic distribution of all products. With the growing population worldwide, it is a necessity to have more packages in order to preserve more and to get more products to new consumers.
   • Packaging is a unique industry as it serves virtually all industries. More than other goods, products of the packaging industry face a derived demand: they are desired not for their own sake, but as an integral part of the final product. Changing trends in the market for final products also impose corresponding changes in the composition and characteristics of packaging. For developing countries like the Philippines, it is imperative to be abreast on the increasing sophistication in packaging to sustain its position both in the domestic and export markets.
   • Increasing exports - a strategy towards economic growth. A major factor leading to creating new markets for Philippine products is the "added value concept". With the added-value concept, export not in bulk as raw material or in semi-processed form but as consumer products. This obviously requires new, more sophisticated and competitive packages.
   • Recognition given to packaging not only as effective marketing tool to a fast developing retail trade but also as a systematic means of safe delivery of goods to the ultimate consumers in sound condition and minimum cost.
     
     
2. Raising the Quality of Life for All Through Better Packaging
   • Packaging is a protector, not only of the product but also of life itself. Hygiene has improved and deadly diseases have been contained due to packaging.
   • Packaging has a close connection with our society and economy and it always changes with changes in society. As response to busier lifestyle, smaller family units, need for convenience and environmental issues, packaging development results to easy opening devices added to packages which offers appropriate size choices in environmentally responsible packs.
   • Tamper-evident closures for drugs, medicines and dangerous products are also made available to protect the consumers, specifically the children.
   • With increasing sophistication in packaging technology, packages through graphic designs, shapes and textures and embossing are made available for specific target markets like the aged group and the sight-impaired consumers.
   • WPO is continually advocating the important role of packaging in improving the life of the people as summarized in their theme "Better Quality of Life through Better Packaging." There is a positive relationship in the quality of life achieved by a society and its use of modern packaging.
     
     
3. The Packaging R&D Center: Its Role in National Development and "Economic Growth with Social Equity"
   • Food Supply and Security. High percentage of food spoilage ranging from 30-50% in the Philippines is attributed primarily to insufficient packaging, lack of packaging appreciation, absence of packaging standards, and limited availability of well-trained and skilled packaging practitioners. Saving 10% of these that are wasted or spoiled on the way to the consumer can surely provide for tens of thousands of hungry people. Reduction of food waste/product spoilage at source can be achieved through a more efficient storing, handling and distribution system, ---through packaging and packaging systems designed specifically to respond to these conditions.
     
     There is a vast potential quantity of products that can be introduced in the domestic and world markets with the help of an intelligent approach by the food processing and packaging industries. To keep-up with the challenges imposed by the world market, application of modern and advanced packaging technologies must be adopted by the local food processors. Philippine ethnic foods if properly packaged can be globally competitive. One good example is the "buko" pie, which gained entry in the mainstream of the Australian market. The product is the result of combined food and packaging technologies.
   • Environmental Protection. As the packaging becomes more related to the daily life of human beings, the sociality of packaging has absorbed packaging attention. These environmental issues include disposal of waste packaging materials, conservation of resources and energy and packaging safety. These issues, however, must be viewed positively by the concerned environmentalists and packaging professionals.
     
     It was reported by PIP (1999) that in terms of volume, 80% of our solid waste are packaging and thus environmentally responsible packaging is very important. The packaging industry by conducting research and development could address the above problems through the 3R's --- reduce, reuse and recycle.
     
     Program on environmental issues include rationalization on the use of packaging, advocacy on waste segregation aimed towards an environmentally friendly social system, and development of new packaging technologies that may be effective in solving environmental problems.
   • Compliance with Packaging Standards. Compliance with international standards on packaging is another issue, which has a direct impact on the competitiveness of Philippine products globally. It was reported by the DTI (1997) that one of the causes of detention of Philippine processed foods in the export market was due to mislabeling.
     
     Many of the problems related to the manufacture and use of packaging materials and packages are connected to the necessity to comply with a rapidly increasing amount of packaging and labeling including a large number of environmental laws and regulations such as eco-labeling. They are usually created in response to strong demands from the consumers -not intended as "invisible trade barriers", even if in practice they often become such barriers to exporters/packers in developing countries like the Philippines.
     
     Packaging suppliers and end-users are not aware of the existing standards on specific packaging materials and these often times caused the use of inappropriate application of packaging materials and eventually product rejection.
   • Institutional Infrastructure for Packaging Development. There is a need to establish a national packaging center which will serve as a venue for conducting packaging research and development, testing, design, training, information dissemination, and industrial linkages in packaging technology. Unlike other countries where packaging centers have been established several years back, the Philippines through the DOST has taken the initiative to put up the Packaging R&D Center on the year 1999.
     
     
4. Services of the Packaging R&D Center
   • Research and Development - cooperative research program in the areas of food packaging, environmental protection, development of new materials, industrial design and equipment design among others;
   • Testing and Other Related Services - capability to perform physical, chemical, environmental and other specialized testings to evaluate packaging protection, performance and compatibility to product. Other services will include toll packaging, market research, trend analysis, identification of new product applications, organization of local and international packaging exhibitions and conferences;
   • Information - up-to-date information in technical and commercial development of packaging technology, market trends and regulations and standards; offers a wide range of technical reference, journals, patents, regulations and annual reports of local and international organizations, trade leaflets, catalogues and directories;
   • Consultancy and Training - these will include training and seminars for packaging technology, skills development, one stop consultancy service and solving technical problems related to packaging.
     
     
5. DOST's Commitment
   • The DOST through the leadership of Secretary Estrella F. Alabastro has committed to make the visions of the Packaging R&D Center realized. What the local packaging industry has dreamed for the last twenty years, the DOST made this come true. The Secretary believes the critical role of packaging in making the Philippine products globally competitive thus enhancing the socio-economic growth of the country. Aside from allocating funds for the Center, through her initiative, she has already created synergy with the business sector like the Packaging Institute of the Philippines (PIP), Philippine Exporters Confederation (PHILEXPORT), other government agencies and the learning institutions.