INCPEN looking for new director after Bickerstaffe announces retirement
The Industry Council for research on Packaging and the Environment (INCPEN), an association representing packaging suppliers and retailers in the UK, is searching for a new director run the organisation after current incumbent Jane Bickerstaffe announced her impending retirement.
Bickerstaffe, who joined the organisation in 1990 as Technical Director and has been running it since 2000, will retire before the end of 2017.
Established in 1974 with the stated aim of understanding the environmental and social effects of packaging, INCPEN has members from throughout the packaging supply chain.
Since joining the company, Bickerstaffe has commissioned and managed a variety of research projects into packaging and its environmental effects, which INCPEN says ‘have helped to support companies in their efforts to improve their packaging from an environmental and social perspective’.
With packaging often in the firing line for campaigns addressing preventable waste, Bickerstaffe has commonly railed against the focus on the end-of-life processes of packaging, emphasising the role that it can play protecting the resources invested throughout a product’s life.
She has long been a vocal critic against the implementation of deposit-return systems in the UK, and has recently co-ordinated INCPEN’s own anti-litter programme and been a representative on the government’s new advisory group for a national litter strategy, which aims to put a ‘coherent clean-up plan for England’ in place for the first time.
INCPEN’s anti-litter programme has included supporting sustainability campaign charity Hubbub in its Neat Streets programme, which trialled techniques to reduce litter in a busy central London street.
Commenting on Bickerstaffe’s time leading the organisation, INCPEN Chairman David Baker said: “Jane has done a fantastic job in promoting the many positive benefits of packaging and ensuring that the interests of all sectors of the supply chain are fully represented when it comes to policy making.”
Successor sought to promote packaging – ‘an easy target for the ill-informed’
Looking forward to the search for a replacement, Baker added: “We are now looking for a successor with the same combination of knowledge, passion and enthusiasm to carry on this good work. Packaging will remain an easy target for the ill-informed and it is vital that we continue to promote the positive contribution it makes to society.
“We are grateful that Jane has given us fair warning of her wish to retire so that there will be an opportunity for the new appointee to work alongside her to ensure a smooth and effective handover.”
Full details of the INCPEN director role and application process can be found on INCPEN’s website.
