Experts Sought for the Revision of ISO/IEC Guide 41 on Consumer Packaging Needs

At its May 2013 plenary meeting, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Committee on Consumer Policy (COPOLCO) moved to initiate the revision of ISO/IEC Guide 41, Packaging - Recommendations for addressing consumer needs. As the U.S. representative to ISO, and COPOLCO via the Consumer Interest Forum (CIF), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is now soliciting nominations for U.S. experts to serve on the Working Group (WG) responsible for revision of this guide. Additionally, ANSI is seeking participants to serve on a related U.S. Virtual Technical Advisory Group (VTAG) that will provide U.S. stakeholder input to the U.S. WG experts named by the ANSI ISO Council (AIC).

ISO/IEC Guide 41 is designed to provide guidance related to the choice of suitable packaging to protect vulnerable goods at point of sale. The guide is intended to reduce prices for consumers by minimizing unneeded packaging and increase the percentage of goods that reach consumers in a state of good repair, safeguarding consumers from potential hazards associated with the packaging of such goods, among other results. Revisions to ISO/IEC Guide 41 would update the current edition, which was published in 2003.

Individuals interested in participating in the WG or supporting its work through the U.S. VTAG should contact ANSI's Rachel Hawthorne by email at rhawthorne@ansi.org by close of business on Wednesday, September 18, 2013.