Departments – Page 11 – FlexPack Voice

Advocacy, volunteerism, and sustainability efforts are all showcased in this section. You’ll also find letters from FPA’s president, who offers her valuable perspective on those topics and more.

National

FPA Plots Course With Biden Administration

Economic Recovery and Sustainability Top List

March/April 2021

Now that the Biden/Harris Administration is in place and the 117th Congress officially underway, the Flexible Packaging Association is working to support several important legislative priorities. Alison Keane, FPA President and CEO, reached out to the new administration early in the transition to communicate the association’s desire to work with the Biden team on legislative […]

State

State Elections Set Up a Busy 2021

This Could Be Watershed Year for EPR, Other Bills

March/April 2021

State elections were hotly contested in 2020, and they were of equal importance to federal elections due to the census and redistricting in 2021 and 2022. Despite the millions of dollars poured into state campaigns, it was largely a status quo election. Only the New Hampshire House and Senate switched party control from Democrat to […]

Advancements Make Compostable Packaging Possible

Compostable No Longer Just a Buzzword

March/April 2021

The demand for compostable packaging to replace traditional plastic food and beverage packaging is growing steadily, and that trend is predicted to continue for years to come. It’s no surprise that consumers are excited about the idea of products that will essentially disappear into the earth instead of piling up in landfills or our environment. […]

Strategic Plan Takes Shape

March/April 2021

FPA will complete a strategic planning process this month, which will help guide the association into the future. The plan focuses on activities within the association’s four key goals—protection, promotion, information, and connection. Protection is the work that FPA does to advance the industry through representation to government and regulatory bodies. Promotion raises public and […]

Aquene Springs and Liquibox Partner to Help Navajo Nation

March/April 2021

For more than five years, Liquibox has provided bag-in-box bags to Aquene Springs—a North American supplier of source water. When the company approached Liquibox for help delivering emergency water to the Navajo Nation during the pandemic, Liquibox was ready to assist. Through a newspaper article, Michael Hobson, owner of Aquene Springs, noticed the devastating effect […]

Nova Chemicals and Pregis Support Clean Water

March/April 2021

NOVA Chemicals Corp., a producer of chemicals and plastic resins, and Pregis, a supplier of protective packaging solutions, are teaming up to support the Uzima Clean Water Mission. Uzima, an Atlanta-based charity, makes and donates water filters to help vulnerable, at-risk populations around the world gain access to clean water. NOVA Chemicals is donating film resins to […]

Challenges For 2021 Remain Vivid

Jan/Feb 2021

We are entering a new year that will prove to be as challenging as 2020 for many of the same reasons. The COVID-19 pandemic is reaching its second and third waves worldwide, and the efficacy and rollout of a vaccine is uncertain. And, as federal, state, and local budgets have been strained, it is expected […]

Analyzing the Status of a Circular Economy

Jan/Feb 2021

In 2016, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) decided to bring plastic packaging into the circular economy. The foundation’s message is clear: “The vision aims at ensuring that plastic never becomes a waste by 1) eliminating the plastic we don’t need; 2) innovating to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, and compostable; […]

National

Welcome to the 117th Congress

Fresh Start Might Mean More Productive Year in 2021

Jan/Feb 2021

2020 felt like both the longest and the shortest of years. In many respects, it seemed to be never-ending—particularly when it came to the endless election cycle and continuous online meetings. At the same time, given the chaotic nature of adapting to pandemic life and the pressure to complete legislation to address the pandemic response, […]

State

2021 Framed by Fall Elections

State and Local Governments Will Be Picking Up Packaging Issues

Jan/Feb 2021

Last year, elections at the state level had an outsized importance similar to elections at the federal level. A major driver was the 2020 census and the redistricting that will happen starting next year for Congressional and state legislative districts. State legislatures generally oversee that process, so an incredible amount of money and attention was […]

ESKO DONATES SOFTWARE LICENSES

Jan/Feb 2021

Esko made a multi-million-dollar, in-kind donation to support college and university students in their packaging engineering and technology studies.The global developer of integrated software and hardware solutions for the packaging, label, and wide-format sectors has extended its no-charge donation of software licenses to leading educational institutions across the U.S. “We strongly believe in investing in […]

SIEGWERK PROVIDES MEALS

Jan/Feb 2021

At the flexible packaging headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Siegwerk employees normally participate in Meals from the Heartland, a nonprofit organization composed of volunteers who package meals for delivery to feed people around the world, as well as in the U.S. The meals include rice, soy protein, dried vegetables, and vitamins. During the pandemic, Siegwerk […]

Novolex Donates Materials to Create Face Shields

Jan/Feb 2021

In April, Novolex donated plastic sheets needed to make face shields to protect health care workers and other first responders as they tackled the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual face shields were cut from up to one-ton rolls of transparent polyethylene produced at Novolex manufacturing centers and then were affixed onto head harnesses at assembly points across […]

MICHELMAN HOLDS ANNUAL DAY OF SERVICE

Jan/Feb 2021

Michelman held its ninth Annual Commitment to Community Day in September, with more than 400 associates joining in to help during the pandemic. Staff safely volunteered their time at various charitable and nonprofit organizations throughout the U.S., Belgium, Luxembourg, Japan, Singapore, and China, the company says. Many volunteer activities were conducted outdoors while wearing masks […]

National

Advocacy in a Time of Unknowns

Planning will be difficult

Nov/Dec 2020

November is the month of the great unknowns. Questions abound, including how will the elections turn out? Who will be the president come January? Will the Senate flip to the Democrats’ control? Where will we be in fighting the pandemic and will some type of normalcy return, or will we be in the grip of new COVID-19 breakouts and […]

Charity Work Goes Digital Because of Virus

Nov/Dec 2020

American Packaging Corp. (APC) and its owners—the Schottland family—have long been involved with The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, founded by the late film star and philanthropist Paul Newman in Ashford, Connecticut.

2021 Ripe With Political Pros and Cons

Nov/Dec 2020

2020 was not the year anyone expected, and 2021 will not be either. Along with the ongoing efforts to fight the novel coronavirus, the outcome of the elections—with both chambers in play, as well as the presidency—will shape 2021 and the next four years.

Flexible Packaging: An “Essential” Place to Be

Sustainability Remains Important as Opportunities Grow

Nov/Dec 2020

It’s a great time to be in flexible packaging, especially if you’re a vertically integrated, domestic manufacturer like Plastic Packaging Technologies. I’m guessing many other leaders in this industry feel the same way.

State

Despite Setbacks, State Governments Continue Work Into Winter

Budget Deficits Create Intense Pressure

Nov/Dec 2020

As state legislatures have entered the fall election season, 2020 will once again prove to be an exception—many states continue to convene sporadically to address urgent budget and policy issues.

COVID-19 Delays but Doesn’t Stop Ham Giveaway

Nov/Dec 2020

Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) had planned a nice Easter treat for people in its Green Bay, Wisconsin, community. But then COVID-19 got in the way.

The SPE Flexible Packaging Division has been presenting FlexPackCon since 2000. In 2023, the Montreal location reached maximum capacity of almost 200 attendees. The event blends fundamentals with applied experience to address emerging issues and opportunities in packaging.

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Held annually in the U.S. since 2012, Digital Print for Packaging began as an opportunity for digital print equipment suppliers to network with converters on the relatively new idea of digital print for packaging. The interest and desire for digital print options continues to grow as converters look to provide new services and satisfy growing demands, and the industry shares a desire to explore more mainstream applications for digital print, and hopefully iterate the ROI of switching to fully digital. Smithers’ Digital Print for Packaging Conference (DPP) is the key place in the industry to have technical discussions around commercializing digital print for the packaging industry. FPA is a media partner for the event, and FPA members enjoy a 10% discount on the registration fee. Contact FPA for the discount code.

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Packed with first-hand experience, our high-level lineup of expert speakers will share their industry insights, best practices, and lessons learned throughout their e-commerce packaging journeys to provide invaluable market insights that help attendees to evaluate and optimize their own e-commerce packaging strategies. FPA is a media partner for the event, and FPA members enjoy a 10% discount on the registration fee. Contact FPA for the discount code.

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The Packaging Recycling Summit 2025, presented by Packaging World, brings together brands, materials suppliers, reprocessors, and materials recovery facilities (MRFs) to illuminate all facets of the circular supply chain. Discover the critical role of design and material selection for recyclability, and the importance of collaborating early in the design process. Engage in discussions on current legislation, brand innovations, and how collaborative efforts across the supply chain can build more resilient and sustainable business practices that benefit both the bottom line and the planet. FPA is a media partner for the event, and FPA members enjoy a 50% discount on the registration fee with this discount code: FPAMEMBER.

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As the topic of recycling and sustainability continues to take over every conversation within the packaging industry, learn more about how advanced recycling is influencing the recycling conversation, how this will change the circular economy and how brands are starting get involved when striving for further sustainability goals. Advanced Recycling Summit will bring high level presentations, interactive panels, and numerous networking opportunities with attendees from across the plastics and sustainable packaging supply chains. FPA is a media partner for the event, and FPA members enjoy a 10% discount on the registration fee with this discount code: ARS25FPA.

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