FPA President and CEO Alison Keane offers her valuable perspective on consumer trends, legislative change, sustainability, and more. Keep your finger on the pulse of the flexible packaging industry by learning about the obstacles and achievements outlined in these letters.

FPA Monitors Issues and Legislation Involving Food Waste

Food waste is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. The current goal set by the United Nations Global Compact, Paris Accord, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Department of Agriculture is to cut food waste and loss by 50% by 2030.

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Advocacy and Strategic Planning Round Out 2023

As the year ends and we all reflect on our ac­complishments as well as our resolutions for the new year, the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) has a lot to celebrate in 2023 and look forward to in 2024. On the state level, the advocacy focus was again on extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation, per- and […]

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Federal Recycling Strategies Must Be Monitored Closely

We have been given several regulatory opportunities this year to drive home our message on the importance of films and flexibles, including the protection of products and the reduction of carbon, as well as shaping the future of recycling in the United States to include this type of packaging.

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Educating on the Differences Between PFAs and PPAs

Six states have adopted laws that focus on regulating the intentional use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in food packaging. The regulations, however, do not equate to a total ban on the use of PFAS, and the industry needs to do more to educate on the differences between PFAS and the fluoropolymers we use as polymer processing aids.

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Reaching New Audiences

Industry engagement through social media is critical to spreading the message about flexibles, particularly to consumers.

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FPA Welcomes New Congress Members

But Old Issues Like Aluminum, Circularity, and Trade Remain

New year, new Congress, and it’s quite a different group after the elections. With our aluminum foil advocacy, the Flexible Packaging Association is a newly minted federal lobbyist organization with yours truly now duly registered. And we will make the most of it as the work continues on the trade front and circularity issues.

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Aluminum Trade Policies Must Change

Deja vu. Shortly after I started with the Flexible Packaging Association in 2016, I had my first real test. While advocacy has always been my passion, I was still learning the industry, as well as my CEO role, and had never worked on a trade issue. When the International Trade Commission received a petition to impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Chinese aluminum foil, we were off and running.

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Advanced Recycling Works—We Just Need to Ramp it Up

Recycling does work—but our U.S. recycling infrastructure is decades old; markets have been severely limited by relying on exports for too long; and it doesn’t provide circularity for much of today’s packaging types, including flexible packaging.

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FPA Plans Membership Drive

FPA offers unparal­leled support to the flexible packaging industry—one of the fastest-growing segments in packaging—and you could be an essential part of that movement.

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EPA and FPA Share Similar Goals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published its National Recycling Strategy: Part One of a Series on Building a Circular Economy, which identifies strategic objectives and stakeholder-led actions to create a stronger, more resilient, and cost-effective recycling system.

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Let’s Unite for Flexibles!

2022 Offers Challenges and Opportunities

A new year brings a renewed focus on the Flexible Packaging Association’s core pillars: advocacy, communication, research, and networking.

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FPA Monitors Infrastructure Details

New Strategic Plan Underway, As Well

Work to protect, promote, and provide solutions for flexible packaging conforms with FPA’s new strategic plan, approved by the board at our virtual meeting in March.

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Facing Headwinds

With all the action on circularity and recycling infrastructure for packaging, it is easy to forget the additional challenges the flexible packaging industry is facing.

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Sustainability, Social Media Efforts Ramp Up

As the packaging industry—particularly the plastic and flexible packaging industry—continues to face unprecedented levels of legislation around end-of-life management and full circularity, promotion of the many benefits of flexible packaging is more important than ever.

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Strategic Plan Takes Shape

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 […]

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Challenges For 2021 Remain Vivid

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 […]

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