A workshop was held yesterday at the Industrial Research Centre in Tripoli entitled ‘‘Challenges facing the packaging sector in Libya’’. The workshop was organized by the National Industrial Promotion Authority (NIPA) in cooperation with the Libyan Export Promotion Centre (LEPC) and the Industrial Research Centre.
In his opening speech, the Director General of the LEPC referred to the interest paid by the LEPC since its inception to the packaging sector as it is one of the tributaries supporting the success of export operations.
He touched on the role of the LEPC in providing appropriate support for the participation of national companies working in the field of packaging in many international specialized exhibitions in order to be aware the most prominent technologies used in this industry and localise them to support national companies.
The Chairman of NIPA stressed the importance of the packaging sector and its role in the advancement of local industry, and pointed out that NIPA pays great attention to this sector.
The workshop dealt with many aspects of the field of packaging and its importance to the industrial sector and some other sectors by presenting ten scientific lectures that shed light on the most important modern technologies in the field of packaging and the latest specifications adopted locally and internationally in the field which will improve the quality and competitiveness of Libyan products
They also discussed the difficulties facing the export operations of some local products due to the lack of packaging conforming to internationally approved specifications and standards.
At the workshop, ten papers were presented entitled:
- Cleaner production towards sustainable development
- The reality and prospects of the food packaging laboratory at the Industrial Research Center
- Adverse effects of chemicals in food packaging materials on human health
- The level of designs and type of packaging containers and its relationship to foreign trade
- Nanotechnology and its applications in the field of food packaging (enhancing food safety and monitoring its suitability)
- The applications of nanotechnology in food packaging to improve and ensure safety and quality
- Halal packaging and filling
- The effect of micro plastics on pregnancy and foetal development
- The importance of the development prospects for the use of plastic in the field of packaging
- Evaluating the level of awareness of the Libyan citizen in his choice of food contact plastic products
Recommendations
Several recommendations emerged from the workshop, the most important of which are:
- Establishing a packaging centre that keeps pace with developments and the latest technologies used in this field, as well as monitoring and improving the quality of packaging used in the packaging of national products.
- Developing human cadres working in the packaging sector through training on the latest technologies used globally.
- Supporting and encouraging national factories and companies working in the field of packaging that produce packaging conforming to local and international specifications and preserving the environment through their application of cleaner production techniques
