WASHINGTON (Dec. 19, 12:05 p.m. ET) — The American Chemistry Council and the Society of Plastics Engineers have created a partnership aimed at letting the organizations and their members work more closely together.

Gail Bristol, SPE’s managing director, said the agreement involves communication to members of both trade associations and reciprocal rates for events and some services.

ACC will run an article and an advertisement in every issue of SPE’s Plastics Engineering magazine on the subject of sustainability of plastics, she said. ACC will keep SPE members updated on the chemistry council’s other activities.

Both associations will offer their members some benefits at regular member rates. That includes events, conference registration and market reports.

ACC in Washington and SPE, based in Newtown, Conn., announced the partnership Dec. 17. The agreement “will increase the value of both associations to their respective members and increase awareness that plastic materials and products are contributing to a more sustainable future,” the groups said in a news release.

Willem De Vos, SPE’s chief executive, said in a prepared statement: “Our partnership with ACC’s Plastics Division will provide value to our members by enhancing access to market data and information on the sustainability of plastics, and by creating a framework to better leverage the expertise and the communications networks that exist within this industry.”

De Vos said groups need to work together in what he called “an increasingly challenging economic environment.”

Steve Russell, ACC’s vice president of plastics, said: “Plastics engineers are working every day to bring innovative materials and applications to life. Through this new partnership we hope to support their work through access to more comprehensive information about the sustainability of plastics across a variety of applications.”