Latest Stories

Features for the Flexible Packaging Industry

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.
Digital Exclusive
Biden Administration Highlights Environmental Justice While Changing Trump Policies

Biden Administration Highlights Environmental Justice While Changing Trump Policies

FPA Committee and Staff Track Developments Through Periodic Reports

July 1, 2021

Each quarter, FPA’s Environmental, Health, and Safety Committee (EHS) reports to members on federal environmental regulatory and court developments, capturing the significant policy changes that can affect the industry. After a new administration takes over, the changes can be significant and numerous.

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Infrastructure and Recycling Debate Accelerates

Infrastructure and Recycling Debate Accelerates

FPA Monitors Biden Administration Stances on Sustainability, Trade, Taxes, and Environmental Justice

July/Aug 2021

The definition of “infrastructure” has been a flashpoint for policymakers in Washington, D.C., ever since President Joseph R. Biden Jr. unveiled a $2.3 trillion spending bill to bolster infrastructure in the United States. Roads, bridges, and broadband internet service make the cut on nearly every list.

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Moving Ahead On Recycling

Moving Ahead On Recycling

Advocates: 2021 May Be the Year for National Decisions

July/Aug 2021

Recycling issues in the U.S. are not new, but the ability to get a coordinated response hasn’t been easy. So, last year, various stakeholders along the supply chain organized a group to see if they could create actionable ideas.

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Trade Shows Going Live

Trade Shows Going Live

Organizers Prepared With New Safety Guidelines

July/Aug 2021

In a vastly altered globe since last year, flexible packaging converters and suppliers seize innovations as they reinvent for a refashioned, post-pandemic economy.

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Digital Exclusive
Oregon Moves Fast on EPR Legislation

Oregon Moves Fast on EPR Legislation

Several Lessons Found in Actions in Various States, FPA Lobbyists Say

July 1, 2021

Legislators in Oregon hammered out an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) bill this spring, expecting to sign into law a measure that puts much of the responsibility for handling waste on the companies that make products.

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Digital Exclusive

Automation Dominates Manufacturing Landscape

PMMI’s PACK EXPO in September to Highlight Issues

June 17, 2021

Years before the pandemic, manufacturers were struggling to find new workers, leading to innovative ways of using automation to replace jobs where it made sense.

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Digital Exclusive
Meet the FPA Staff

Meet the FPA Staff

A Conversation with Alison Keane, FPA President and CEO

June 3, 2021

“Meet the FPA Staff” is a way for you to get to know those you work with in a more personal way. Alison Keane, FPA president and CEO, is taking the lead with this first Q&A in the occasional series.

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Digital Exclusive
Expanded Interview With Stan Bikulege

Expanded Interview With Stan Bikulege

President and CEO of Novolex

May 17, 2021

This is an expanded version of an interview with Stan Bikulege that appears in the May/June 2021 issue of This is an expanded version of an interview with Stan Bikulege that appears in the May/June 2021 issue of FlexPack VOICE®. The printed article can be found online, too, in the digital format of the full magazine.®. The printed article can be found online, too, in the digital format of the full magazine.

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Digital Exclusive
FPA Member Milestones

FPA Member Milestones

Mica Corp. Hits 30 Years as Member of FPA

May 3, 2021

When Mica Corporation opened in 1971, the company was a one-person operation run by its founder, Daniel Siegel.

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Digital Exclusive
International Entries Highlight 2021 Awards Competition

International Entries Highlight 2021 Awards Competition

Judges Recognize Winners in UAE and India

April 29, 2021

The Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition had a strong international flavor this year, especially when it came to printing excellence, leading to multiple awards for one company in the United Arab Emirates and another in India.

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Digital Exclusive
Prototypes Offer Solutions Through Flexible Packaging

Prototypes Offer Solutions Through Flexible Packaging

Students Discuss Winning Entries in FPA Contest

April 29, 2021

Caylee Boone and three of her classmates at the University of Wisconsin-Stout were tasked with coming up with ideas and prototypes that would advance uses for flexible packaging, so they started to think about how they use products and what could be improved.

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Sustainability Efforts Honored

Sustainability Efforts Honored

5 Packages Receive Awards in FPA Annual Contest

May/June 2021

Sustainability goals are shared across the flexible packaging industry, so when it comes to finding ways to improve the circular economy, collegiality and collaboration dominate, says Randy Shermet, vice president of sales and development at Polykar in Burlington, Ontario.

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Packaging For Patient Care

Packaging For Patient Care

Sterile Packaging Helps Medical Professionals Save Lives

May/June 2021

From scraped knees to heart-valve replacements, every day people depend upon health care and medical/surgical supplies safely delivered in sterile packaging.

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Market Tracker Explained

Market Tracker Explained

Euromonitor’s Tool Now Updated Quarterly

May/June 2021

Without reliable information about COVID-19’s impact on daily life and spending habits, strategic planning becomes challenging for flexible packaging manufacturers hoping to make inroads in, perhaps, Turkey, France, Brazil, or China.

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Digital Exclusive
E-commerce Trends Accelerate

E-commerce Trends Accelerate

Euromonitor International Research Head Outlines How Trends Will Play Out

April 19, 2021

The ramp up to e-commerce worldwide will only accelerate in the months ahead as businesses and stores reopen and consumers go back to more normal daily activities, according to Michelle Evans, senior head of digital consumer research for Euromonitor International.

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Digital Exclusive
Steady at the Helm at Bumble Bee

Steady at the Helm at Bumble Bee

Jan Tharp, CEO and President, Offers Tips for Weathering a Crisis

April 5, 2021

When it comes to providing leadership in a crisis, Jan Tharp says a critical aspect is having someone at the helm who is going to be a reassuring presence.

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Digital Exclusive
American Packaging Corp. Garners FPA’s Highest Award

American Packaging Corp. Garners FPA’s Highest Award

The Award is the Top Prize in FPA’s Annual Competition

March 22, 2021

The Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition sponsored by the Flexible Packaging Association included 75 packages, with some of them being entered in multiple categories.

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Digital Exclusive
Presentation Shows How Market Tracker Tool Can Help FPA Members

Presentation Shows How Market Tracker Tool Can Help FPA Members

The Tool is Available Online Through FPA’s Website

March 4, 2021

Let’s say you want to learn more about trends in another country where you might want to do business. As a member of the Flexible Packaging Association, details are a few mouse clicks away with the Market Tracker tool.  “What is great is that you can compare one market against another, which can really help […]

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Ripe for Rebound

Ripe for Rebound

Experts Predict Renewed Interest in Mergers and Acquisition Deals

March/April 2021

Mergers and acquisitions in the flexible packaging industry slowed in 2020 as COVID-19 upended the international economy. But as the pandemic ebbs in 2021, the industry will be eager to return to a busier pace for making deals.

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