Tokyo-based TOPPAN Holdings Inc. recently completed its purchase of the thermoformed and flexibles packaging (TFP) business of Sonoco Products Company. As part of this transition, TFP will now operate under the TOPPAN name, with its financial results reported in TOPPAN’s living and industry segment. Russell Grissett, president of Sonoco Flexible Packaging and chair of the […]
Read MoreTherese Umerlik
Digital Exclusive
FPA Launches Trade Working Group and Newsletter on Tariffs
Working Group Will Guide FPA’s Tariff and Trade Monitoring Efforts and Engagement
April 10, 2025
The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) has recently begun producing biweekly updates on trade policy, not only to track shifts in tariff rules but also to establish an informal trade working group to advise FPA on how to respond to changes.
Read MoreFPA Names New Board Chair and Directors
Russell Grissett, president of Sonoco Flexible Packaging, was elected as the new chair of the Board of Directors of the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) based in Annapolis, Maryland. Grissett succeeds William “Bill” Jackson, Ph.D., chief technology officer of Amcor Flexibles, who served as chair from March 2023 to March 2025. David Love, senior vice president […]
Read MoreTraining on the Mechanical Recycling of Flexible Packaging Set for April 29
The Association of Packaging Recyclers (APR) plans an in-depth training program that will explore the systems and processes involved with the mechanical recycling of flexible packaging films. The course titled “APR Design® Training & Tour for Flexibles: Interactive Session on Film & Flex Recycling and Package Design” will be held on April 29, 2025, in […]
Read MoreDigital Exclusive
Timeline, Storybook, and Videos Mark FPA’s 75th Year Anniversary
FPA's History Demonstrates How It Has Provided a Voice for the Flexible Packaging Industry
March 27, 2025
The Flexible Packaging Association focuses on industry growth, professional development, and networking opportunities, all at a time when plastic packaging has to indicate why it is a better alternative than other packaging forms.
Read MoreOben Group to Expand With Deal in Brazil
Oben Group has agreed to buy Vitopel do Brasil Ltda., a manufacturer of polypropylene (BOPP) films with facilities in Brazil. For Oben, the acquisition will establish local BOPP manufacturing in Brazil, expand its footprint as a global player in the industry, and bolster its position in the highly competitive flexible packaging films industry, according to […]
Read MoreProAmpac Takes Highest Achievement Award in FPA Annual Contest
Thirty-four achievement awards representing 20 packages were presented March 7, 2025, during the69th Annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition, which included a Highest Achievement Award that went to ProAmpac. Overall, the contest included 67 package submissions, resulting in 226 entries, because some packages competed across multiple categories, according to the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) that […]
Read MoreDigital Exclusive
Business Groups Oppose PFAS Proposal in New Mexico
Measure Is Overly Broad and Restrictive, Opponents Say
March 13, 2025
Nearly 50 business associations, including groups representing the plastics and flexible packaging industries, recently endorsed a letter opposing a bill in New Mexico that would heavily regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Read MoreManufacturing Unemployment Rate Hits 2.9% in February
The jobless report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows a continuing tight labor market in manufacturing, with the unemployment rate in the sector hitting 2.9%. BLS reported in the first week of March 2025 that 456,000 people were unemployed in the manufacturing sector in February, which compares to 450,000 people in February […]
Read MoreUFlex to Expand Plastic Bag Plant in Mexico to Serve Pet Food Markets
UFlex, an India-based flexible packaging company, intends to invest $50 million in a manufacturing plant in Mexico to produce woven polypropylene (WPP) bags for markets in North and South America, according to a recent company report. The plant will have an annual production capacity of 80 million bags that will help meet the rising demand […]
Read MoreCompanies Invest in Their Communities
March/April 2025
Companies recognized were ProAmpac, Michelman, and Mid South Extrusion. The individual celebrated was Mohammad Farahat, Ph.D., director of Sun Chemical’s Novel Device Laboratory.
Read More
A Closer Look at Apurva Shah
Apurva Shah, Vice President of Strategy and Customer Development, Charter Next Generation
March/April 2025
In this issue, we interview Apurva Shah, vice president of strategy and customer development at Charter Next Generation and a board member of the Flexible Packaging Association.
Read More
‘Outstanding’
Judges for 69th Annual Awards Competition Highlight Advances in Flexible Packaging
March/April 2025
Judges for this year’s Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards competition went through the entries one by one to pick the winners in six categories: expanding the use of flexible packaging, technical innovation, sustainability, printing, shelf impact, and packaging excellence.
Read More
‘An Inflection Point’
ProAmpac CEO Greg Tucker Offers His Thoughts on a Turning Point for the Flexible Packaging Industry
March/April 2025
ProAmpac has been focused on innovation and sustainability and wants to make sure it builds sustainable packaging options that are substrate agnostic as long as they can be recyclable or compostable and not go into landfills.
Read More
A Look Behind Producer Responsibility Organizations
Circular Action Alliance Prepares for a Busy Year With EPR
March/April 2025
Extended producer responsibility laws have been spreading in the United States, requiring the guidance of producer responsibility organizations (PROs). Along the way, a PRO called Circular Action Alliance was incorporated in December 2022.
Read MoreNext Up for EPR: PRO Plans and Implementation
March/April 2025
In each of the five state’s extended producer responsibility laws, the producer responsibility organization’s plans are structured differently with various requirements.
Read MoreTariff Wars Continue
March/April 2025
It appears that President Donald J. Trump’s second administration is instituting even more rigorous trade and tariff restrictions.
Read More
Poly Print Partners With Tucson Officials to Recycle Plastics
March/April 2025
Poly Print, Inc. recently collaborated with the Tucson City Council and ByFusion, a California-based company specializing in transforming discarded plastic into sustainable building materials, to recycle and repurpose plastic waste.
Read MoreNew Position Paper Addresses Sustainability of Medical Device Packaging
March/April 2025
The Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council’s paper explains how laws mandating that sterilized medical packaging include recycled content and/or be recyclable pose significant risks to the critical requirements that medical packaging must meet.
Read More
Future of Sales and Marketing
March/April 2025
The flexible packaging industry is a close-knit community where companies and professionals often intersect throughout their careers. There is a palpable emphasis on relationship-building as a cornerstone of sales and marketing strategies.
Read More