From the Magazine – Page 3

Flexpack Crash Course

New Workers Network During Daylong Seminar

Jan/Feb 2023

This course aims to help the flexible packaging industry maintain, grow, and attract new talent through connections and collaboration.

Advocacy Experts Discuss New Congress

Jan/Feb 2023

As 2023 begins, federal legislators will be putting the final touches on reorganizing the House and Senate committees and subcommittees of the 118th Congress based on the results of the November election. But even before the election, advocates for the packaging and flexible packaging industries were preparing for what they know will be a busy year on Capitol Hill.

Companies Offer Insights into Challenges, Opportunities

Nov/Dec 2022

In 2022, as companies in the flexible packaging realm reach milestone years in their FPA memberships, some shared how they continue to innovate, embrace sustainability, and maximize FPA resources to stay strong and meet the challenges ahead.

Some Companies Create Alternative Routes to Circularity Goals

Nov/Dec 2022

As they take steps toward creating a circular economy for their products, flexible packaging companies continue to face calls for reducing or eliminating the use of plastic entirely.

Thought Leader Survey Highlights Legislation, Other Issues

Nov/Dec 2022

This year, the respondents to the “Packaging Thought Leader Survey 2032” included 165 experts, including leadership from the Flexible Packaging Association. The questions include deep looks into key technologies and trends that will impact packaging by 2032.

CNG, General Mills, and Others Invest in Mechanical Recycling Plant

Sept/Oct 2022

A coalition of Minnesota-based CEOs in the agriculture and consumer packaged goods industries wanted to do more to ensure a circular economy, especially when it came to flexible packaging. Business leaders set out to create a regional ecosystem serving the Upper Midwest.

Judges and Students Reflect on 2022 Contest

Sept/Oct 2022

Four members of FPA’s Emerging Leadership Council, volunteered one afternoon in May to judge the association’s annual Student Flexible Packaging Design Challenge.

Using Technology to Hire, Train, and Schedule Workers

Sept/Oct 2022

More than two years after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional methods of training workers, flexible packaging companies continue fine-tuning their approaches that rely on technology to limit face-to-face contact.

Digital Exclusive

Cyberthieves Target Manufacturers

Experts Discuss Trends, Offer Tips

June 27, 2022

Cybersecurity trends have led FPA to offer its members a cyber risk mitigation and insurance package program, developed by NAM, to help prevent cyberattacks.

War in Ukraine, Tariffs, Trade Policies Frustrate Supplies

July/Aug 2022

Flexible packaging companies may have been hoping this year would bring relief to a stubborn shortage of aluminum foil. However, relief does not appear likely anytime soon.

Private-Equity Firms See Potential for Circular Economy

July/Aug 2022

Private investors want to turn one of the largest curbside recyclers in the U.S. into a test bed for building up infrastructure that will be vital to the success of the circular economy.

Experts Acknowledge Fresh Looks and Designs

May/June 2022

Innovators showcased their top packages at the 66th Annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition.

As Pandemic Wanes, Deeper Trends Emerge

May/June 2022

The explosion of e-commerce over the last two years fueled a burst of creativity that will leave a lasting mark on flexible packaging, even if online sales retreat from their pandemic-era highs.

Challenges with Messages Can Hinder Goals

May/June 2022

Sustainability is more than a buzzword for flexible packaging companies. It is spurring a rush to create products that are reusable, recyclable, made entirely from recycled materials, or all of the above. But for many consumers, sustainability is an abstract concept that fails to resonate.

African Company Seeks Help with Solutions

March/April 2022

The Women’s Bakery in Rwanda, Africa, represents a microcosm of the packaging industry’s drive for continuous innovation in sustainability and the universal challenge of keeping pace with recycling mandates.

Shell Plant in Pennsylvania Going on Line

March/April 2022

This year, flexible packaging companies will have a new source of polyethylene: A major petrochemical plant erected by Shell along the banks of the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania—about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The plant is expected to produce 1.6 million tons of polyethylene per year.

Deals Remain Robust for Flexible Packaging Industry

March/April 2022

Like so much else in the economy, corporate deal-making roared back to life in 2021 as COVID-19 vaccines blunted the worst effects of the pandemic and companies adapted to the risks that remained.

From Acceptance to Ownership

Peter Sheahan: Transforming Your Company Starts at the Top

Jan/Feb 2022

Executives in the flexible packaging industry grasp the challenges in front of them. The hard work lies in moving from understanding to action—or, as Peter Sheahan puts it, from acceptance to ownership.

Vaccine Mandates Stir Debate

Business Group Expresses Concern About Long-Term Precedents

Jan/Feb 2022

As the pandemic entered its 18th month in September, the federal government prepared new rules that would require businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure workers were vaccinated. For some observers, the process underway indicated an overreach that raised flags about whether precedents were being set that would undermine the autonomy of businesses for years.

Filling the Gaps

Employers Use Creative Measures to Fill Jobs

Jan/Feb 2022

To fill job gaps, manufacturers are seeking employees from nontraditional or largely untapped fields. Veterans, women, re-entrants, and refugees constitute a rich supply of motivated, reliable workers.

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. Contact FPA for the discount code.

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Join the premier event for the compostable products industry! Whether you're involved in product and material development, zero waste initiatives, collection and hauling, compost operations, or policy development, this is the event for you. Together, we'll work to build a successful system for food scraps diversion that incorporates compostable products and packaging.

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