The presence of packaging industries across Europe is set to receive a boost thanks to the formation of EPIC – the European Packaging Institutes Consortium. Comprising 12 European packaging institutes representing 22 000 packaging professionals and 2200 associated companies, EPIC is headed by the UK Institute of Packaging chief executive John Webb-Jenkins, who becomes its first chairman. Among its aims of promoting and raising international awareness of the European packaging industry, EPIC seeks to develop projects in packaging education, innovation as well as influence the direction of packaging-related legislation.