What Is Advocacy in Simple Words?
As many of the articles in this issue of FlexPack VOICE® are focused on advocacy and public policy, I asked Google Gemini, Google’s advanced family of multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) models and the AI assistant that powers it, “What is advocacy in simple words?”
This is what it gave me: “Advocacy is the act of supporting, speaking for, or recommending a cause, policy, or person, often to create positive change, influence decisions, or protect rights, by taking action like raising awareness, persuading others, or lobbying for a specific outcome. Simply put, it’s standing up for something you believe in or helping others voice their needs, ranging from calling your representative to organizing community action. Key aspects of advocacy:
- Purpose: To bring about change, promote justice, or defend interests;
- Actions: Can be visible (rallies, public speaking) or less visible (writing letters, educating);
- Scope: Can be for individuals (parents advocating for a child), groups, or broad causes (environment, human rights); and
- Origin: Comes from the Latin ‘vocare’ (to call) and ‘ad’ (for), meaning ‘calling for’ something.”
As the articles in this edition reflect on our collective work in 2025 and what may be in store for us in 2026, I am proud of the work that “we”—Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) members, staff, consultants, and industry peers—are doing. We strive to align our efforts with the answer to the question mentioned above and to a key pillar of the FPA 2025–2027 strategic plan. That pillar is to Advocate and Protect: Advocate for the interests of the flexible packaging industry.
Are we helping others, influencing, lobbying, persuading, raising awareness, recommending, supporting, and taking action to create positive change and to defend, protect, and stand up for the flexible packaging industry? Absolutely! Can and should we be doing more? Absolutely and always!
You’ll be hearing more about that “more” throughout this year, whether it be in the articles here; through more communications from and engagement with the FPA board, committees, councils, consultants, and staff; through more direct engagement with federal and state policymakers and administrators and their staff; through more FPA initiatives and research supporting our advocacy efforts; or more public awareness of the value of flexible packaging and our advocacy that supports that.
Of course, advocacy and public policy work is not all that FPA does, but they are critical and essential parts of who we are. And you are always welcome and encouraged to join and support our advocacy efforts at whatever level your availability and comfort allow. To put it in simple words, the more the better.
Dan Felton
President & CEO
Flexible Packaging Association
