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ASTM Committee D10 on Packaging was formed in 1914. D10 meets twice each year, in April and October, with approximately 70 members attending two days of technical meetings. The Committee, with a membership of approximately 350, currently has jurisdiction over 135 standards, published in June in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Volume 15.09. D10 has 16 technical subcommittees that maintain these standards. Information on this subcommittee structure and D10’s portfolio of approved standards and Work Items under development is available from the List of Subcommittees, Standards, and Work Items. D10 standards play a preeminent role in all aspects important the packaging industry including: tape, labels, shock and vibration and environmental testing of shipping containers and packaging, tests resistant packaging, consumer packaging, and mechanical dispensers. ACTIVITIES, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES The technical subcommittees of D10 fall into three divisions: Division I on General Packaging, Division II on Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Securing Loads, and Division III on Consumer Products. Division I on General Packaging focuses on standards for tape, pallets, crates and wood boxes, interior shipping, and shipping hazardous materials and vibration equipment. The two most used standards from Division I are D 3330, Test Method for Peel Adhesion of Pressure-Sensitive Tape, under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee D10.14 on Tape and Labels, and D 3951, Practice for Commercial Packaging, under Subcommittee D10.18 on Miscellaneous Packaging. There are a total of eight subcommittees in Division I. Division II on Performance Testing of Shipping Container and Securing Loads focuses on standard activities for testing containers, strapping, and corrugated fiber boxes. The most well-known and used standard is D 4169, Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems, which falls under Subcommittee D10.21 on Shipping Containers and Systems - Application of Performance Test Methods. There are five subcommittees in Division II. Division III focuses on Consumer Products. There are three subcommittees in Division III, D10.31 on Child Resistant Packaging and Closure Systems, D10.32 on Consumer, Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging, and D10.33 on Mechanical Dispensers. The most notable standard in Division III is D 3475, Classification of Child-Resistant Packages, under the jurisdiction of D10.31. Committee D10 produces a compilation titled ASTM Standards and Other Documents Related to Performance Testing of Shipping Containers. This compilation includes all applicable standards, documents, and references for D 4169, Practice for Performance Testing of Shipping Containers and Systems. D 4169 provides a uniform basis for evaluating in a laboratory the ability of transport packaging to withstand the distribution environment, using established test methods and test levels representative of those occurring in an actual distribution. At any given time, D10 has dozens of ongoing revisions, particularly ongoing review and revisions to D 4169. PARTICIPATING AS A MEMBER ON THE COMMITTEE ASTM International opens its doors to all technical experts with an interest in the standardization process. As a member of ASTM Committee D10, you will be exposed to the robust resources and member benefits included below that have helped make ASTM a worldwide standards development leader for more than a century:
STAKEHOLDERS The Committee is largely composed of packaging companies, packaging testing equipment manufacturers, shipping companies, government regulators, U.S. military representatives, and academia. Representatives from the government, specifically the U.S. Army and the General Services Administration (GSA), are very important to the forum as they can be the largest purchasers of packaging and they participate in the work to develop and revise D10 standards. Producers include packaging companies, packaging component manufacturers and testing equipment manufacturers. Users are shipping companies, packaging laboratories, and other large manufacturers that have interest in properly packaging their products. RELATIONSHIP WITH INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, AND REGULATION As indicated above, GSA and the U.S. Army are heavily involved in the development and revisions of D10 standards. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are involved in referencing and using D10 standards in their regulations. LIAISON Key Organizations International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) www.ista.org: The ISTA mission is to provide economic and environmental benefits by preventing product damage and over packaging during the physical distribution of products as a result of creating, advocating, and providing performance testing standards, training, education, and certification. Consortium for Distribution Packaging Research (CDPR) www.packaging.msu.edu: The Consortium for Distribution Packaging is an operational unit within the School of Packaging at Michigan State University, and it encourages basic and applied research, testing, and service in the area of distribution packaging. National Institute of Packaging Handling and Logistics Engineers (NIPHLE) www.niphle.org: NIPHLE is an organization that includes professionals throughout the country who work to improve the state of the art in packaging, handling, and logistics. NIPHLE sponsors two annual national symposia. LINKS AND INFORMATION The following websites have been identified by Committee D10 to contain information of interest. DLA Packaging: www.dscc.dla.mil/Offices/packaging International Safe Transit Association: www.ista.org Michigan State University, School of Packaging: www.packaging.msu.edu National Institute of Packaging Handling and Logistics Engineers: www.niphle.org Packaging Today: www.packagingtoday.com Packworld.com: www.packworld.com |