02 April 2009
BEIRUT: Product branding and labeling is important for preserving Lebanon's industrial products and making them easier for export, Fadi Abboud, the president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association said on Wednesday.
"Helping Lebanese companies with the branding and labeling of their products to comply with the international quality standards is a great step toward a better manufacturing industry and healthy economy," said Abboud.
His remarks came during a conference held at Movenpick Hotel in Beirut organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Market Access and Compliance for Lebanese Exports (MACLE). The conference was called to discuss LibanPack, a nonprofit private association representing stakeholders in the packaging and industrial sectors in Lebanon.
LibanPack was founded in November 2008 through the UNIDO-MACLE project funded with a Swiss grant of $2.2 million through the country's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, the Association of Lebanese Industrialists and Syndicate of Packaging Industries in Lebanon.
According to Soha Atallah, national project coordinator of MACLE, the main objective of the packaging center is to increase the competitiveness of Lebanese products in export markets through the improvement of packaging, and to ensure conformity with international standards for packaging and labeling.
She said LibanPack would become a national central point for all economic operators concerned with packaging, including manufacturers, users, converters, suppliers, designers, testing institutions, packaging specialists, providers of training and educational programs and students.
Economy and Trade Minister Mohammad Safadi said that the Lebanese people have always been distinguished for their creativity in this field compared to other countries in the region. However, he said, they have not been very concerned lately with the improvement of their products, especially in terms of branding and labeling, because of the political challenges that Lebanon has faced for the past 30 years.
Safadi added that attaining a good standard of product branding and labeling would increase the competitiveness of Lebanese products abroad, and this would reflect positively on the Lebanese economy.
Gerardo Patacconi, project manager and chief in the trade capacity building branch at UNIDO in Vienna, said the project was so far successful in creating awareness and knowledge among the Lebanese industrialists on the importance of packaging and labeling through workshops, training and study tours.
He said LibanPack also reviewed the LIBNOR standards on packaging and labeling and is currently preparing for new standards. Patacconi added that the global packaging industry is valued at $433 billion, representing a significant percentage of global GDP, while that of the Middle East is of $35 billion.
According to Patacconi, LibanPack works in close collaboration with laboratories at the Lebanese American University and at the Industrial Research Institute to provide its members with access to laboratory testing.
Khaled al-Mekwad, UNIDO representative, said that the project has proven to have had a positive effect on the economy by increasing Lebanese exports and their ability to access new markets.
Copyright The Daily Star 2009.
