Resolving to Create a Stronger FPA in 2026
According to many sources, the practice of making New Year’s resolutions started 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Citizens in that agriculturally intensive and trade-based region made promises to the gods in mid-March when crops were planted. They used that as an opportunity to return borrowed tools, supplies, and equipment and to repay debts.
If you kept your New Year’s resolution to the gods, it was said good fortune would fall upon you.
In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar established January 1 as New Year’s Day, with the name January in the Roman calendar coming from Janus, the god of new beginnings. That day became a holiday when the courts would close for half the day, and government officials would make promises to Caesar to show loyalty.
Over time, the religious aspect of making New Year’s resolutions diminished, with the practice becoming more of a secular, personal tradition focused on making a positive change or accomplishing a personal goal.
Growing Stronger
With that spirit in mind, one of my New Year’s resolutions for FPA is to continue to create new opportunities for all of us to proactively advocate together for sound legislation, laws, and regulations to grow and protect the flexible packaging industry.
I also resolve to continue to develop and implement new FPA networking and programming activities in 2026 that will bring us together to collaborate and explore building new relationships and new ideas that will move FPA and our industry forward.
The base for all this will be our existing 2025–2027 strategic plan, built on these four solid pillars:
- Advocate and Protect: Advocate for the interests of the flexible packaging industry.
- Educate and Inform: Develop industry data and market information to educate and inform industry and external audiences.
- Relevance and Expansion: Position FPA as the organization on which the industry depends upon and the value is recognized.
- Association Strength: Maintain the talent, finances, and structure to grow FPA for the long term.
As I like to say—and you might have heard me say before—if our work is not built in some way on these four pillars, then FPA probably should not be doing it.
I sincerely welcome you to join me and all the fantastic FPA staff, consultants, and volunteers on the Board of Directors, councils, and committees to continue to implement the FPA strategic plan and help me succeed in my New Year’s resolutions for FPA and the flexible packaging industry.
My door is always open, so please never hesitate to call or email so we can help each other out.
I also hope to see you in Orlando in March for our 2026 Annual Meeting, where we can see how I am doing on my resolutions.
Dan Felton
President & CEO
Flexible Packaging Association
