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The History of the International  Society of Commodity Science and Technology

Author: Dr. Eva Waginger, Department of Technology and Sustainable Productmanagment, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Austria

The development of the society

Contrasting the field of technology, which is an acknowledged, well known science, commodity knowledge as a field of science is not so popular among academic disciplines. This is amazing as dealing with commodities has much importance for man since his early history, especially relating to commerce. In the 18th century scholars began to study commodities on a scientific basis. Deriving from natural science commodity science has soon developed into a discipline of economics. After the Second World War -especially in some west European countries (Germany, Austria, Netherlands) - it had to face competition with newly derived micro-economic sub-disciplines like marketing, whereas in eastern Europe it kept an important role in economics in the field of quality testing. Despite this different development there was a movement in the 1970ies in many, not only European, but also in Asian countries, bundling commodity research and teaching by the foundation of national associations. In the following years the initiative to organize these activities on an international level mainly came from German and Austrian scientists, who wanted to improve international contact among scientists. The aim was to integrate institutions, associations, societies or individual persons, interested or engaged in the field of Commodity Science and Technology.

It was on the 6th of August 1976 in Salzburg, Austria, that the International Association for Commodity Science and Technology was founded by 

Prof. Paul Fink, ETH St. Gallen, Switzerland

Prof. Josef Hölzl, University of Economics and business Administration. Vienna, Austria, (President of the Austrian Society of Commodity Science and Technology)

Dipl. Kfm. Dr. Helge Gasthuber, University of Economics and business Administration. Vienna, Austria

Dr. Frans Lox, Gent, Belgium

DDr. Heinrich Schlick, Mannheim, Germany (President of the German Society of Commodity Science and Technology)

Dipl.Volkswirt Otto Gekeler, Ulm Germany (Editor of the Journal Forum Ware since 1976)

Also Prof. Dr. Otto Aalhaus from the University in Heidelberg and Prof. Dr. Traebert, Dermagen, Netherlands were among the proponents.

 

The charter of the association had been elaborated by Prof. Schlick, Prof. Hölzl and Otto Gekeler and the organisation of the association was conforming to Austrian low. In October 1978 the society was officially registered, the office was at the Department of Technology and Commodity Science, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. It was decided that the IGWT should be co-editor of the Journal Forum Ware, which had first been published in 1976 by the German and Austrian societies.

Soon further national associations and individual members joined the society. This process was especially encouraged by the travels and individual contacts of Prof. Hölzl and his assistants, for example Prof. Vogel, who undertook to travel to Japan to prepare cooperation. In 1978 the following countries were active in the IGWT: Belgium, Germany, Israel, Japan, Austria, and Switzerland. In 1979 the Polish society joined. At present national organizations and members of the IGWT come from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Belarus, China, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Ukraine.

The first President of the society was DDr. Schlick, followed by Professor Hölzl, who held the presidency until the middle of the 80ies, when it was decided to shift presidency every two years to the country organizing the biennial international meeting.

The Circular

The common information bulletin of the IGWT is the “Circulare”, edited by the office in Vienna, first issued in 1983. It provides members with information on meetings, and IGWT matters as well as matters of the national societies. This bulletin is sent out to the presidents and national secretaries and since some years posted on this home page.

Forum Ware

In 1976 scientific publication begun with the Journal Forum Ware, issued by the German and the Austrian Societies and shortly later also by the IGWT in German and in English language. This journal had been founded on the intention to provide a common scientific journal for commodity science and technology. Otto Gekeler was the first editor, bragging the journals character for many years, assisted by Austrian colleagues like Helge Gasthuber and Ingrid Wagner. After his death the German president Günter Otto continued his work, assisted by Ingrid Wagner from Austria. In the last years Reinhard Löbbert, President of the German Society and Eva Waginger from Austria were responsible for the editing management.

Reading through the many numbers of the journal reveals on the one hand the progress and changing focuses of the discipline, on the other hand it has to be admitted, that many topics never loose importance, but are only seen different according to the scientific possibilities and the value system of each period.

Forum Ware International

At the meeting in Maribor in 2001 the conception of the scientific publication of the society was fundamentally changed for two reasons:

first it was admitted to have a qualified medium for scientific publication, matching evolving international standards. This was mainly stressed by Professor Koziol and Professor Vogel, the permanent managing Vice President of the IGWT;

second publication has to be done with a limited budget. So it was finally decided to publish a new scientific internet journal in English language named “FORUM WARE INTERNATIONAL” with double blind peer reviewed papers.

The former FORUM WARE since then was published as a German paper version by the German society DGWT and the Austrian society ÖGWT. It includes ,however, an international part with extended short versions in English of those papers, issued by Forum Ware International.

Forum Ware International is published twice a year on the home page http://forumware.wu-wien.ac.at. It is fully accessible for members of the national societies with a password. The abstracts of the articles are open to all visitors.

Forum Ware International (ISSN 1810- 7028) is devoted to a range topics like

  • Commodity Science and Product Management
  • Quality Testing
  • Design, Ingredients/Components of Products, Packaging
  • Food
  • Resources, Energy, Waste
  • Environmental and Quality Management, Quality Systems
  • Sustainable Development
  • New Technologies (Life Sciences, Communication)
  • Software
  • E-commerce
  • Globalisation and Trade
  • Education in these fields

Focus common to all these topics is the role of commodities from cradle to grave ( raw materials, production technologies, consumption, disposal) in science and in society referring to its economics, political and cultural dynamics.

Conclusion

From the present point of view, at a time of international scientific competition and evaluation, the foundation of IGWT proves as future oriented initiative, not only offering an international platform for the exchange of knowledge, but also creating a common basis for progress in this field of science. So it may be regarded as an instrument to demonstrate the importance and necessity of this field of science in the academic landscape. Due to its 30 years of existence the communications and documents of the society display the developments in commodity science and technology of this period. The long-term contacts and co- operations have established a network, which due to modern technical communication standards can be far better used than at the time of the foundation of the society.

In recent years new developments in technology, the environmental movement,  integrated product policy (a strategy of the European Union to induce sustainable development) gave many new impulses to the discipline and testimony of the importance to study commodities and technology within the frame of economy.

ASSOCIATION

The registered office of the Association is at the International IGWT secretariat at the

Department of Technology and Commodity Science,

Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration

Augasse 2 - 6, A-1090 Vienna AUSTRIA

Telefon: +0431-313-36/4806
Fax: +0431-313-36/706

E-Mail: Eva.Waginger@wu-wien.ac.at


PURPOSE OF THE ASSOCIATION


The Association pursues the object of winning every institution, association, society or
individual person being engaged in commodity science and technology on the international
scene to collaborate in the Association’s aims, and of serving, by way of an extensive
exchange of knowledge and experience on an international level, the progress of modern
commodity science.

Setting out from the realisation that modern commodity science must be based on
considering the commodity in its entirety, taking all its aspects into account, the Association
advocates the establishment and promotion of scientific institutions capable of meeting such
requirements.

The Association supports every effort which may contribute to emphasise the comprehensive
knowledge of commodity

o on every level of education,
o in the economy,
o in every branch of public administration and
o with the consumer.

ACITIVITIES


o to publish a common information bulletin (e.g. FORUM WARE, Circulare),
o to support pertinent scientific work and to publish the results in suitable publications,
o to hold conventions, conferences, symposia and meetings,
o to support every effort to harmonise, across national borders, commodity language,
classification and information systems,
o to co-operate with organisations pursuing similar objects.


PUBLICATIONS


o FORUM WARE - Scientific Journal in German and English
o Forum Ware International - Scientific English Journal (first 2002)
o Circulare
o Proceedings of the Symposia

CONFERENCES

International Symposium are held every two years

IGWT Symposions on Commodity and Technology:
1978 - 2001

1. 1st International Symposium on
Commodity Science and Technology
 Vienna, Austria 05.7. - 8.7. 1978
2. Packaging for Health in Trade -
Topics in Modern Commodity Science and
Technology
 Gent, Belgium 18.9. - 21.9 1979
3. Cooperation Areas in Commodity Science
and Technology in view to human needs
 Krakau, Poland 20.9. - 23.9. 1981
4. Merci per il futuro; una sfida per la
merceologia
 Bari, Italy 26.9. -29. 9. 1983
5. International Congress for Commodities
and Technology
 St. Gallen, Switzerland
 1.10. - 3.10. 1985
6. International Congress for Commodities and Technology
 Tokyo-Kyoto, Japan
 25.8. - 28. 8. 1987
7. Commodity Toward the 21st Century
 Seoul, Korea 4.8. - 6. 8. 1989
8. Commodities and Technologies for a
Changing Europe
 Bad Hersfeld/ Lübeck, Germany
 19.8. - 22. 8. 1991
9. Environmentally Sound Products With
Clean Technologies
 Budapest, Hungary
 23.8. - 27. 8. 1993
10. Development and future of the modern
commodity science in the market economy
 Beijing, China 4.8. - 8. 9 1995
11. Commodity Science and Sustainable
Development
 Vienna, Austria 26.8. -1. 9. 1997
12. Quality for the XXIst Century
 Poznan/Gdynia, Poland 5.9. -11. 9. 1999
13. Commodity Science in Global Quality
Perspective 		Maribor, Slovenia 29.- 8. 9. 2001
14. Focusing new century : commodity - trade
- environment
 Beijing, China 24. 8. - 28. 8 2003

CONTACT

Dr. Eva Waginger

Department of technology and sustainable product management

Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration

Augasse 2 - 6
A-1090 Vienna
AUSTRIA

phone: +0431-313-36/4806
fax: +0431-313-36/706
email: eva.waginger@wu-wien.ac.at