Reusable Industrial Packaging Association

What Reusable Industrial Packaging Association does

The Reusable Industrial Packaging Association (RIPA) is a U.S.-headquartered, membership-based trade association founded in 1942-1943 that represents over 90% of the North American industrial packaging reconditioning industry, alongside manufacturers and distributors of new steel, plastic, and fiber drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). The organization operates from Annapolis, Maryland with a 1-10 person staff under President Paul Rankin and Chairman Eric Bernath, and is governed by a Board elected from its member base. RIPA is a founding member of the International Confederation of Container Reconditioners (ICCR), giving it transnational reach into regulatory and standards-setting forums.

RIPA's product and service portfolio centers on industry information dissemination and regulatory advocacy rather than on packaged technology. Member-facing offerings include the Reusable Packaging Today newsletter, Special Bulletins on urgent regulatory matters, Annual and Spring Technical Conferences, compliance workshops, and specialized Product Groups for Steel Drum, Plastic Drum, Fiber Drum, IBC, and Flexible IBC segments. Its sustainability research stack comprises the 2015 Ernst & Young Life Cycle Assessment, a 2024 Climate Change Benefits study, and an Excel-based Green Packaging Calculator that quantifies Scope 3 carbon savings. It also administers the Morris Hershson Award of Merit and, as of 2025, a Next Generation program for newer entrants to the reconditioning business.

RIPA generates revenue exclusively through membership dues, which are tiered by member revenue levels; no pricing is publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is horizontal across the reconditioning, manufacturing, distribution, and supplier segments, with marketing conducted via newsletter, conferences, workshops, and an industry-clearinghouse website. Strategic positioning is anchored on regulatory representation before EPA, DOT/PHMSA, and Transport Canada, and on convening the global reconditioning industry via the once-every-nine-years International Conference on Industrial Packaging (ICIP), with the next edition scheduled for Las Vegas in October 2026.

Name

Reusable Industrial Packaging Association

Legal name

Reusable Industrial Packaging Association

Website

https://www.reusablepackaging.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1942

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Reusable Industrial Packaging Association (RIPA) is a U.S. nonprofit trade association, founded 1942, representing over 90% of North American industrial packaging reconditioners plus drum and IBC manufacturers and distributors through membership dues-funded advocacy, publications, conferences, and regulatory engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association / Industrial Packaging Industry Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)

akta.pro primary industry

Reconditioned/Refurbished IBCs & Reverse Logistics (Collection, Washing) (IMALAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging Recovery & Closed-Loop Programs (Take-Back, Deposit-Return, EPR Support) (IMALAMAF), Product Take-Back & Reverse Logistics Programs (EUAIANAA)

Keywords

• Industrial packaging association
• Reusable packaging advocacy
• Drum reconditioning
• Regulatory compliance packaging
• Intermediate bulk containers

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RIPA is a nonprofit trade association representing North American reconditioners, manufacturers, and distributors of reusable industrial packaging, including steel, plastic, and fiber drums, and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). The association delivers member services such as regulatory advocacy, industry newsletters, technical conferences, compliance workshops, sustainability research, and specialized product groups.

Product overview

The Reusable Industrial Packaging Association (RIPA) operates as a trade association rather than a product company. It offers a portfolio of member services including industry publications (Reusable Packaging Today newsletter, Special Bulletins), annual conferences and technical training events, specialized Product Groups for different packaging types, and sustainability research tools such as the Green Packaging Calculator and Life Cycle Assessment studies. The association also administers the Morris Hershson Award of Merit and runs a Next Generation program for leadership development. RIPA's core value proposition is regulatory advocacy, compliance assistance, and industry information sharing for North American industrial packaging reconditioners, manufacturers, and distributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RIPA Membership Paid trade association membership for North American reconditioners, manufacturers, and distributors of steel, plastic, and fiber drums and intermediate bulk containers. Membership includes access to industry information, regulatory advocacy, technical programs, compliance assistance, and Code of Operating Practice adherence. Dues are based on member revenue levels.
• RIPA Annual Conference Paid fall conference and Suppliers Exposition providing networking and education for members, featuring industry workshops, technical presentations, and the presentation of the Morris Hershson Award of Merit. Held annually in North America.
• RIPA Spring Technical Conference Paid spring technical conference featuring industry workshops, technical presentations, and regulatory compliance sessions for member companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Industrial packaging reuse saves several billion pounds of carbon annually, according to the Ernst & Young Life Cycle Assessment study (October 2015)

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Confederation of Container Reconditioners (ICCR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIPA is a founding member of ICCR, which represents the global reconditioning industry in regulatory and standards-setting forums throughout the world. ICCR conducted the Life Cycle Inventory study comparing single-trip and multi-trip steel drum systems in the U.S., Europe and Japan (1999).
• Petroleum Packaging Council (PPC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRIPA President Paul Rankin gave a keynote presentation to members of the Petroleum Packaging Council on the environmental benefits of industrial packaging reuse, speaking to over 150 industry professionals and suppliers.
• American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFPM joined RIPA in opposing EPA efforts to reconsider the RCRA empty rule. RIPA President Paul Rankin met with EPA alongside AFPM representatives who are key players on empty container issues representing the nation's oil refining industry.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Confederation of Container Reconditioners (ICCR): Global trade confederation of container reconditioners, of which RIPA is a founding member. Directly comparable in mission (reconditioning industry representation) and operates at the international level that complements RIPA's North American focus.
• Petroleum Packaging Council (PPC): Industry trade group focused on petroleum packaging; RIPA President Paul Rankin presented to PPC membership on packaging sustainability. Comparable as a niche trade association serving an adjacent packaging customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Plastics Industry Association: Larger trade association representing the entire U.S. plastics industry, including plastic drum manufacturers that are also RIPA members. Comparable as a broader plastics industry advocacy body with overlapping manufacturing constituency.
• American Forest & Paper Association: Trade association representing the U.S. forest, paper, wood, and pulp products industry, including fiber drum manufacturers that participate in RIPA's Fiber Drum Product Group. Comparable as an industry-wide association with overlapping member companies.
• Steel Manufacturers Association: Trade association representing the North American steel manufacturing industry, including producers of steel drum stock used by RIPA members. Comparable as a materials-focused trade body with shared manufacturing advocacy interests.
• National Waste & Recycling Association: Trade association representing the U.S. private-sector waste and recycling industry, with adjacent interest in industrial packaging end-of-life management. Comparable as a larger industry advocacy body operating in the recycling and recovery space.
• American Chemistry Council: Major U.S. trade association for the chemical industry, whose members are significant end users of RIPA-represented industrial packaging (drums, IBCs). Comparable as a large industry advocacy body serving an overlapping customer base.
• American Iron and Steel Institute: Trade association for the North American steel industry, with member companies that supply steel for steel drum manufacturing. Comparable as a larger steel industry body whose downstream constituency overlaps with RIPA's steel drum members.

Emerging players

• Sustainable Packaging Coalition: Industry working group focused on sustainable packaging design and reuse, with overlapping ESG-driven member companies and a shared interest in reusable industrial packaging. Comparable as a sustainability-focused industry coalition addressing a similar reuse narrative.

Others

• Institute of Packaging Professionals: Professional membership organization for individual packaging professionals across all packaging formats. Comparable as an industry-wide professional association adjacent to RIPA's industrial packaging focus, with an overlapping audience of packaging practitioners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reusable-industrial-packaging-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Reusable Industrial Packaging Association