Shortly after Donald J. Trump took office on January 20, 2025,the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) reported that it intends to work with the Trump administration to advance the priorities of flexible packaging manufacturers nationwide. Members of FPA, which is celebrating 75 years as an association in 2025, employ approximately 83,000 workers in the United States, […]
Read MoreTherese Umerlik
FPA President’s Message on Trump Administration Tariffs
Dear members of the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) as well as the flexible packaging industry: We are closely monitoring the possibility that as soon as tomorrow, Saturday, February 1, 2025, President Donald J. Trump may move forward with tariffs of up to 25% on products imported into the United States from Canada and Mexico to […]
Read MorePRO Adds Conagra Brands and Georgia-Pacific to Board
Circular Action Alliance (CAA), the producer responsibility organization (PRO) that is overseeing extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws in several states, recently announced that Conagra Brands and Georgia-Pacific have joined its board of directors. The companies have expertise in packaging design and recycling in the U.S. and globally, CAA says in a news release. The companies […]
Read MoreDigital Exclusive
FlexPackCon® to Zoom In on Circular Economy and Flexible Packaging
Biennial Event Includes Players Along the Value Chain
January 23, 2025
FlexPackCon® is a North American technical conference dedicated solely to flexible packaging and includes players along the value chain, including material and equipment manufacturers, film manufacturers and converters, packaged goods manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers.
Read MoreOMAC Scholarship Available to Students
A $5,000 scholarship that can help students interested in packaging careers is accepting applications through March 2025. The Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC) sponsors the John A. Kowal Memorial Scholarship. It was established in the memory of Kowal, one of OMAC’s founding members and his contributions to the field he served for more […]
Read MoreNew CEO Starts Top Job at American Packaging Center
Ray Graham has taken over as CEO and president at American Packaging Corporation (APC) after the retirement of Jeff Koch as CEO on December 31, 2024. Koch has subsequently joined APC’s board of directors. Graham, who had been president of the company, joined APC in 2002, leading its flexographic printing and laminating Center of Excellence […]
Read MoreSNAC International Plans Webinar Geared Toward Emerging Brands
As part of its Startups @ SNAXPO Program, SNAC International will hold a webinar designed to help emerging snack brands and founders to scale their businesses sustainably and successfully, including a look at how to work with packaging partners. SNAC is partnering with Food Entrepreneur magazine on the webinar that will offer early-stage snack brands […]
Read MoreCompanies Invest in Their Communities and Promote From Within
Jan/Feb 2025
Companies recognized were Inland Packaging, Keypoint Intelligence, and Printpack. Individuals celebrated were Theodore Jackson with Novolex® and Ching Gettman with Davis-Standard, LLC.
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Packaging for Pet Foods
New Life Cycle Assessment Explores Role of Flexible Packaging in Growing Segment
Jan/Feb 2025
Sustainability seems to pervade all conversations about flexible packaging—including how people view their pets. That makes sustainability top of mind for brand owners because it is top of mind for pet owners.
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FlexPAC™ Gears up for Elections
FPA’s Political Action Committee Plans for the Future
Jan/Feb 2025
The flexible packaging industry took a significant step into the political arena in 2024 with the creation of its first political action committee, FlexPAC™.
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A Conversation With Dan Felton, FPA’s New Leader
Felton Comes From AMERIPEN, Where Packaging EPR Is a Top Concern
Jan/Feb 2025
As Felton prepared to start his new position as president and CEO of the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), he reflected on how some of the issues facing FPA were the same as at AMERIPEN—the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment—where he had spent nearly five years leading that association.
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New Year Brings New State Legislatures and New Packaging Bills
Jan/Feb 2025
As we enter 2025, we are coming off a busy year, with Minnesota passing a new packaging extended producer responsibility law and hundreds of other bills that were mostly defeated but would have created new mandates or banned certain types of flexible packaging.
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Expect the Unexpected in 2025
Jan/Feb 2025
Regulatory oversight will continue to be a key interest for the Flexible Packaging Association as the new administration settles in.
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Flexible Packaging for Food Protects the Environment
Jan/Feb 2025
If food waste were a country, it would rank third in environmental impact behind the United States and China. Preventing food waste is a primary strategy for mitigating the environmental consequences of our food system.
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SPMC® Offers 100 FAQS Addressing Technical Packaging Challenges
Jan/Feb 2025
The FAQs, which now total 100, are a testament to the Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council’s mission and a valued industry resource accessed thousands of times annually.
Read MoreCommittee Leaders Make ELC a Success
Jan/Feb 2025
Among their achievements are the FlexPack Crash Course; Washington, D.C., fly-ins; the summer internship program; and the video on the basics of extended producer responsibility.
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FPA’s Environmental, Health, and Safety Committee Monitors Federal Policies
Jan/Feb 2025
The committee also tracks regulatory developments to inform members on upcoming and existing environmental compliance issues and policies.
Read MoreNew Year Brings New Challenges and Opportunities
Jan/Feb 2025
As I prepared to ring in the New Year, I was reminded of this quote from playwright Hillary DePiano in her 2014 play New Year’s Thieve: “You can get excited about the future. The past won’t mind.” Never were truer words spoken as I took the helm of the Flexible Packaging Association as your new president and CEO.
Read MoreDigital Exclusive
As a Nonprofit, Producer Responsibility Organizations Remain Neutral, Expert Says
Several States Have Chosen the Circular Action Alliance to Oversee EPR Programs
January 2, 2025
An audience member during a presentation about producer responsibility organizations (PROs) at PACK EXPO International expressed skepticism about whether a PRO can fairly implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws that will ensure the strongest sustainability measures.
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A Closer Look at Kelly Knowles
Knowles, Coordinator, FlexPAC™
Jan/Feb 2025
In this issue, we interview Kelly Knowles, coordinator of FlexPAC™.
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