Two US plastics trade associations, Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI, Washington DC; www.plasticsindustry.org) and the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE, Bethel, Connecticut; www.4spe.org), will offer a partnered membership programme for plastics industry OEMs or brand owner companies from 1 January 2017. In particular, the goal is to allow companies supplying the consumer end of the business – who up to now have been mostly onlookers – to play a more active role in the industry’s advocacy councils.

Through the cooperation, the associations said they hope to “leverage and showcase their respective strengths while providing more options for their respective traditional membership base.” In future, employees of companies belonging to SPI’s Brand Owners Council will have access to SPE premium memberships. Parallel to this, brand owners will be able to tap into SPI’s business, supply chain and advocacy offerings, while their employees stand to benefit from SPE’s educational, technical and networking opportunities.

William R. Carteaux, SPI president and CEO, said his organisation’s traditional members – machinery and equipment manufacturers, polymer producers and processors – agree that companies supplying the consumer sector should “have a seat at the table to discuss concerns and share ideas about the plastics industry.” Russell Broome, SPE’s managing director, said the initiative will allow “these key stakeholders” to engage with the engineering society’s vast network of experts across the supply chain. “Having immediate access to the latest processing, material and equipment innovation is vital in order to maintain their reputation with the ultimate consumer,” he said.