Effective immediately, the American plastics industry association Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI, Washington DC; www.plasticsindustry.org) has changed its name to Plastics Industry Association (or PLASTICS) and has also given its web appearance a facelift. “To continue to drive the industry forward for decades to come, our board of directors made a decision to evolve our purpose-driven organsation,” said William R. Carteaux, PLASTICS’ president and CEO. The new name and logo, he said, “define who we are: a forward-thinking association that believes in making a positive impact.”

Explaining the rationale, Carteaux, who held the same position when the trade group that organises the US "National Plastics Exhibition" (NPE; www.npe.org) was known as SPI, said: “In the changing world of plastics, we have to stay relevant. We're not a society. We're not an acronym. We are an association that helps to create possibilities and shape the future of the industry." He added that rebranding from SPI to PLASTICS is also a move towards distinguishing the industry grouping from the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE, Bethel, Connecticut / USA; www.4spe.org), with which it recently announced a membership cooperation – see Plasteurope.com of 29.11.2016.

A new name requires a new logo, and PLASTICS has that, too – a red and white hexagon, which it says represents the six facets of the USD 418m plastics industry that employs nearly 1m people: supply chain, including brand owners; equipment manufacturers; material suppliers; mould-makers; processors; and recyclers. Underscoring the focus on growth and sustainability, including promotion of recycling, the newly renamed association also has unveiled its first-ever tagline: Better Industry. Better World.

“Our member-driven organisation will continue to help the industry grow while promoting new technology through our trade shows and conferences,” said Jim Murphy, chair of the PLASTICS board of directors, in his main job president and CEO of Davis Standard (Pawcatuck, Connecticut / USA; www.davis-standard.com). "At the same time,” he said, “we’re going to work to evolve the way people think about plastics.”