Latest Stories – Page 6 – FlexPack Voice

Find in-depth stories about all the most relevant issues facing flexible packaging today. Digital-expanded and digital-exclusive features offer a deeper look at some of these topics to give you an even fuller view.

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.

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.

Digital Exclusive

Sheahan: “Brutal Honesty” Needed to Transform Your Company

CEO of Karrikins Group Discusses Path to His Transformation

January 3, 2022

Peter Sheahan spends a lot of time advising other executives on how to manage corporate transformation. The recipe includes what he describes as a dose of “brutal honesty.” It sounds painful. But it’s something that Sheahan has experienced during his own growth as a company leader. The experience also helped cement his belief that corporate change […]

Digital Exclusive

Flexible Packaging Company Finds Workers Through Second Chance Program

January 3, 2022

As companies struggle to find workers, many of them turned to alternative programs that can offer a pool of available workers. In the January/February edition of FlexPack VOICE®, we explore some of those ideas, which include hiring former prison inmates. (The digital version of the magazine also can be found online). Here is a closer […]

Digital Exclusive

‘Shopportunities’ Abound for E-Commerce

Flexible Packaging Provides Best Options, Expert Says

December 20, 2021

The pandemic brought disruptions, but with them came what John Wilson, director of marketing and sustainability for Amcor, calls “shopportunities.”

Digital Exclusive

Federal Infrastructure Law Includes Some Recycling Funding

More Support for National Plan Could Come Later

December 6, 2021

The federal infrastructure measures signed by President Joe Biden last month include some welcome funds for recycling and environmental programs.

Digital Exclusive

Plastics Recycling Plant Will Be Fully Operational in Pennsylvania Early in 2022

Facility Will Convert Hard-to-Recycle Plastics Into Building Materials

November 18, 2021

A Pennsylvania recycling plant that will convert plastic waste into construction materials should be fully operational early next year.

Digital Exclusive

Milestones: A Glimpse at Loyal FPA Members

28 Companies Celebrate Anniversaries with FPA in 2021

November 5, 2021

Each year, FPA recognizes members who are celebrating anniversaries with the organization in five-year increments. In 2021, 28 companies reached one of those milestones. Some of the companies recently responded to surveys that give a glimpse at what they do in the flexible packaging industry. 5 Years: 2016 CleanPlanet Chemical, Inc.: CleanPlanet was formed in […]

Digital Exclusive

Seminars Touch on Circularity Worldwide

Different Countries Face Similar Issues Reaching Goals

November 5, 2021

As companies and elected officials in the United States continue to debate plastic waste and a circular economy, they often look toward other nations that are farther ahead in their planning and designs. That focus was behind part of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s SPC Engage online forum held July 20–21, where experts from the European […]

Digital Exclusive

FlexFocus™FlexMatters

A Conversation With David M. Staker

CEO and President, Plastic Packaging Technologies (PPT)

November 4, 2021

Each issue, as well as occasionally in a digital exclusive, FlexPack VOICE® hosts a Q&A segment with an industry leader. Here, we hear from David M. Staker of PPT.

Watching the States

Recycling Proposals Alarm Observers

Nov/Dec 2021

The long value chain of plastics packaging, from manufacturers to converters to brand owners, is turning a wary eye to state-level recycling developments. Those developments include new laws labeled as extended producer responsibility (EPR), but they fall short of serving as models.
However, the industry hopes to bring about a workable national policy that brings consistency, a steady and inclusive supply of materials, and innovative infrastructure to recycling.

Milestones: FPA Members Weigh In

Companies Celebrating Anniversaries Discuss Trends, Concerns

Nov/Dec 2021

In recent interviews, some company managers offered insights into the state of the industry and what needs to be done to ensure its vitality, with several of them offering tips on how FPA and the industry can do better.

Sudden Storms: Turbulence Defined 2021

Industry Leaders Seek Stability in 2022

Nov/Dec 2021

From inflation to labor shortages to pinched supply chains, flexible packaging has been going along with the general roller-coaster ride. But the industry has experienced its own unique dynamics based on the diversity of packaged products.

Digital Exclusive

Interns and Opportunities

FPA Program Connects Industry Interns With Each Other and Mentors

October 18, 2021

This summer and fall, FlexPack VOICE® has been taking a closer look at some of the 35 interns who were part of FPA’s summer internship program. Here is a look at two more profiles: Bradley Reinhart and Abid Shafiullah

Digital Exclusive

Meet the FPA Staff

A Conversation with Ram K. Singhal, FPA Vice President, Technology and Environmental Strategy

October 4, 2021

In this installment of “Meet the FPA Staff,” FPA Vice President of Technology and Environmental Strategy Ram Singhal talks about his path from India to the UK to FPA.

Digital Exclusive

Emerging Leaders Discuss Careers

Members of the FPA Emerging Leadership Council See Vast Opportunities

September 2, 2021

The industry doesn’t have to look far when it comes to showing career development and interest. Several members of the FPA Emerging Leadership Council (ELC) discuss what got them into the industry and how their careers have gone so far.

Tapping Tech Schools

Worker Shortages Prompt Proactive Steps

Sept/Oct 2021

After an FPA Emerging Leadership Council (ELC) committee on recruitment was formed last year, its members quickly determined that they would need to branch out beyond traditional internship programs.

Finding Workers

Experts: Problems Will Linger Long After Pandemic

Sept/Oct 2021

Openings at American Packaging Corp. run the gamut from entry-level production jobs to engineering positions, says Jeff Fuller, the Columbus, Ohio-based company’s manager of organizational development.

Exploring Automation

Challenges Abound For Packagers

Sept/Oct 2021

In the post-pandemic age, automation is more than a solution for labor shortages. It’s the future in a quest for efficiencies, agility, and competitiveness.

Digital Exclusive

Expanded Interview With Catherine Heckman

Business Unit Director, Ashland

September 2, 2021

In this segment, we interview Catherine Heckman, business unit director—North America, laminating, adhesives and coatings at Ashland, a global specialty materials company.

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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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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