As compostable and hard-to-recycle packaging such as flexible packaging become more prevalent in the United States, extended producer responsibility programs will have to ensure a fair and equitable process.
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Digital Exclusive
Biden Administration Pushes Plans for Plastic Alternatives
The Goal is to Replace 90% of Plastics Within 20 Years
May 25, 2023
President Joe Biden’s administration continues to promote plans to use biotechnology and biomanufacturing to develop sustainable alternatives across industries, including fuels, medicines, and plastics, with plastics being largely displaced by 2043.
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AMERIPEN EPR Series Continues With Looks at Producer Responsibility Organizations
May 11, 2023
As more states move toward extended producer responsibility laws, government officials should include industry representatives who will run the programs so fair fees can be assessed and to encourage flexibility after the systems are up and running, says Allen Langdon, CEO of Canada-based Circular Materials.
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Moving the dial on sustainability in the flexible packaging industry
May 2, 2023
Despite the challenges of 2022 having driven significant supply chain disruptions and cost inflation around the world, sustainability remains a hot topic for today’s brands and their packaging supply chains. As awareness of climate change has become ever more present in the lives of consumers, demand for action has escalated, placing further pressure on the […]
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ELC Seminar Shows Where Each Player Fits In
May/June 2023
Organizers created a program that demonstrated what goes into producing a flexible package from start to finish along the supply chain. Each step requires every player to do his or her own part to ensure overall success.
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SPMC® Holds Sterile Packaging Day for 2023
May/June 2023
The Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council celebrated Sterile Packaging Day on February 8 with the theme of “Designed to Protect” to honor medical packaging engineers.
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‘Packaging Compass’ Survey Offers Sustainability Insights
May/June 2023
Recyclers often note that from the time one begins to plan for the development of a materials recovery facility, it takes an average of 10 years to complete. In that time, packaging can shift dramatically as converters and brands replace materials, develop new formats, and launch innovative technologies designed to make packaging more effective in its roles—and to be recyclable.
Read MoreGridlock Marks Start of 2023 on Capitol Hill
FPA Continues to Monitor Congress and Biden Administration
May/June 2023
The situation in Washington, D.C., as we enter late spring and early summer is pretty much what was anticipated—a Congress that has accomplished little of meaningful substance to date.
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Virginia Tech Develops Master’s Program in Sustainable Packaging
May/June 2023
We talk to Laszlo Horvath, an associate professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, who also serves as director of the Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design.
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A Closer Look at Kevin Keneally
President and CEO, PPC Flexible Packaging
May/June 2023
In this issue, we interview Kevin Keneally, president and CEO of PPC Flexible Packaging and a board member of the Flexible Packaging Association.
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Compass Report Provides Direction
AMERIPEN and PMMI Outline Growth Opportunities
May/June 2023
A growing number of states are crafting extended producer responsibility laws that shift more of the cost for local recycling onto consumer brands. This report aims to help companies make the most of recycling opportunities.
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Packages Grab Award Spotlight
A Closer Look at More Gold Award Winners
May/June 2023
The top winners of the Flexible Packaging Association’s 67th Annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition ranked in the categories of packaging excellence, technical innovation, expanding the use of flexible packaging, shelf impact, and printing.
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High Achievers
Innovation and Sustainability Efforts Garner Gold in Annual Contest
May/June 2023
In all, 87 package entries were submitted in the 67th Annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards competition for a total of 230 entries—some packages were entered into multiple categories.
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More Details From Compass Report on Recycling as It Is and Recycling as It Needs to Evolve
May 2, 2023
A new report aims to lay the groundwork for a U.S. recycling system that can better handle the expected growth in flexible packaging over the next decade.
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Overview of FPA Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition
May/June 2023
Since 1956, the Flexible Packaging Association has conducted the annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition to showcase the industry’s innovation and the advances that have changed packaging.
Read MoreEducating on the Differences Between PFAs and PPAs
May/June 2023
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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A Look Through 2023
Paul Harencak of LPS Industries Sees Economic Trends Continuing
May 2, 2023
The U.S. economy has proven more resilient than many expected through the early months of 2023, but challenges are still ahead. To get a sense of what they are, we spoke with Paul Harencak, vice president of LPS Industries, LLC in Moonachie, New Jersey.
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Regulatory Activity Accelerates in Four EPR States
More States Expected to Adopt EPR Laws
May/June 2023
The year 2023 is an incredibly active one for extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, which are now being implemented in the four states that passed EPR laws for packaging—so far. Over the past two years, the initial EPR initiatives passed into law are as follows: Maine’s Legislative Document 1541 in 2021 Oregon’s Senate Bill (SB) […]
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