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Developed by PPAI’s Product
Responsibility Advisory Group (PRAG)
and vetted through industry committees
and advisory groups, the PSA program
was intended to enhance an industry-
wide commitment and a culture where
companies are not only aware of product
safety but are leading the discussion at
every level in the promotional products
channel. We have long been the go-to
industry resource for education and
resources related to your compliance
obligations, and this initiative builds on
those efforts.
But that’s not to say we didn’t have
our share of detractors in the early days
of the program. A number of companies
resisted the program because they either
believed the program didn’t apply to
their businesses or because they thought
four hours of education was excessive. I
am pleased to report that every PPAI-
contracted exhibitor at Expo East 2015
was Product Safety Aware, every com-
pany that advertises in
PPB
is Product
Safety Aware and every company you’ll
see on the show floor when The PPAI
Expo opens next month in Las Vegas
will be Product Safety Aware.
Leaders in regulatory compliance
now laud PPAI as the poster child for
how to create a product safety awareness
program. So, where do we go from here?
Now our focus turns to keeping the
industry up to speed on all developing
issues. Under the Product Safety Aware
program, companies must simply com-
plete at least two courses every two years
to maintain their PSA designation. In
the years to come, PPAI is committed to
continuing its leadership in product
responsibility and expanding our focus
to reflect the broader mission and scope
of this initiative.
We’re not focused exclusively on
product safety anymore, and we’re not
just focused on one set of regulations.
There are really five pillars of product
responsibility—product safety, social
compliance, environmental sustainability,
supply chain security and product quality.
And our intent is to build a library of
resources around each of these critical
components. This was clearly reflected by
our recent rebranding of what was for-
merly the PPAI Product Safety Summit
to the Product Responsibility Summit.
This year, the Summit broadened its
scope to address social responsibility
issues and challenges. In subsequent
years, the Summit will address each of
those pillars in turn, while never aban-
doning its roots in product safety.
Product responsibility is becoming a
differentiator as more organizations
become aware of how their sourcing
decisions can impact their financial posi-
tion, mitigate the risk for bad press and
enhance a brand’s image in the market.
There is no “easy button” or “fast pass”
that is going to get us where we ulti-
mately need to be, but I am very pleased
to report that as a result of our Product
Safety Aware initiative we have all taken
at least the first steps on this path.
If you want to learn more about the
Product Safety Aware initiative or any of
our product responsibility resources,
please reach out to our public affairs
team and they will be happy to help you.
Thanks for your continued support of
this important industry initiative. And as
always, let me know if there’s anything I
can do to help you grow your business.
Product Safety Aware Reaches
A Milestone
PERSPECTIVES
4 •
PPB
• DECEMBER 2015
HAT A DIFFERENCE TWO YEARS MAKES.
It was in January 2014 that we
announced the PPAI Product Safety Aware (PSA) program to the industry. Under
the terms of the program, each company seeking to do business through PPAI chan-
nels must become Product Safety Aware by having at least one employee complete four hours of product
safety education.
Paul Bellantone, CAE
PPAI President And CEO
PERSPECTIVES
W