News Desk

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

A record number of blood donors participated in a blood drive held February 5, 2025, during Sterile Packaging Day at MD&M West in Anaheim, California. The Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council (SPMC®) started Sterile Packaging Day five years ago to raise awareness for the sterile packaging industry while also giving back. The first SPMC® blood drive […]

Trade groups nationwide, including the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), are carefully monitoring the Trump administration’s expansion of steel and aluminum tariffs. President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order (EO) on February 10, 2025, imposing a 25% tariff on U.S. imports of steel and aluminum starting on March 12, 2025. “We are actively engaged with […]

Colorado’s Producer Responsibility Advisory Board has received an initial plan proposal from an organization offering to run the state’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) law. Circular Action Alliance (CAA) submitted its initial plan proposal that details program operations and describes how CAA will help producers comply with all elements of the law, according to a news […]

The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), the voice for the rapidly growing U.S. flexible packaging industry, applauds the introduction and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee advancement of the Strategies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development (STEWARD) Act (S.351). As the second largest and fastest growing segment of the domestic packaging industry, […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Revolution Sustainable Solutions is buying Island Plastics, a producer of 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) linear low-density and low-density polyethylene (LLDPE/LDPE) film grade resin. “This strategic move aims to bolster Revolution’s commitment to sustainable loop solutions and expand its recycling capabilities, particularly in the production of clear food-grade PCR for flexible food packaging and other applications,” […]

Dow recently announced that Karen S. Carter, who has been with the company since 1994, has been appointed chief operating officer (COO). Carter immediately took over in her new role after having been president of Dow’s packaging and specialty plastics (P&SP) operating segment. She will drive business and operational performance across the organization by strengthening […]

North Carolina-based Novolex® and Illinois-based Pactiv Evergreen Inc. have agreed to merge, creating a leading manufacturer in food, beverage, and specialty packaging products, Novolex said in a news release from December 9, 2024. “This transaction reflects the continuation of our long-term growth strategy to create the industry’s most innovative, sustainable, and customer-focused company,” said Stan […]

Nelipak Corporation recently opened a flexible packaging production site in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The global provider of packaging solutions for medical devices, pharmaceutical drug delivery, and other applications is establishing the new location as a North American flagship production site, the company says in a news release. Founded in the Netherlands in 1953, Nelipak also […]

An international company that specializes in recycling hard-to-recycle materials is touting its waste collection products as a way for homeowners to get rid of their holiday waste. Studies show that U.S. households generate 25% more waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, according to New Jersey-based TerraCycle. People can buy TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Box™ to get […]