The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that domestic manufacturers and importers of paper and paper-based packaging approved continuing the Paper and Packaging Board research and promotion program.
In the referendum, 53% of domestic manufacturers and importers voting, who represented 53% of the volume of paper and paper-based packaging voting in the referendum, were in favor of continuing the program. Over 50% of the domestic manufacturers and importers voting and over 50% of the volume voting in the referendum were required to vote in favor for the program to continue.
To be eligible to participate in the referendum, domestic manufacturers and importers must have domestically manufactured or imported 100,000 short tons or more of paper and paper-based packaging from Jan.1 through Dec. 31, 2022, and also must currently manufacturer or import paper and paper-based packaging.
The Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Promotion, Research, and Information Order, which has been administered by the Paper and Packaging Board since 2014, requires USDA to conduct a referendum every seven years or at the request of the board to determine whether the industry was in favor of continuing the program. The board requested and voted unanimously to conduct the continuance referendum in October 2023.
More information about the paper and packaging program is on the AMS Paper and Packaging Board webpage and on the Paper and Packaging Board website.
The paper and paper-based packaging research and promotion program is authorized under the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996. The program was developed to strengthen the position of paper and paper-based packaging in the marketplace, maintain and expand markets for paper and paper-based packaging and develop new uses for paper and paper-based packaging within the United States.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets, and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 22 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
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