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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Interns and Opportunities
FPA Program Connects Industry Interns With Each Other and Mentors
September 2, 2021
This summer, the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) coordinated a program that brought together approximately 35 interns from across various companies in the packaging and flexible packaging industries.
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Milestones: EarthFirst® Films by PSI
25 Years as an FPA Member
August 16, 2021
EarthFirst® Films by PSI (Plastic Suppliers, Inc.) has been a member of the Flexible Packaging Association for 25 years, making it one of the longest-serving members of the trade association based in Annapolis, Maryland.
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Milestones: Liquibox—60 Years in Business in 2021
August 2, 2021
Since its founding 60 years ago, Liquibox has gone through a number of transformations, including several ownership changes and rebrandings.
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FPA Summer Intern Program Starts
Program Formed by the Emerging Leadership Council Recruitment Committee
July 19, 2021
The recruitment committee of the FPA Emerging Leadership Council (ELC) launched its first program this summer, with 35 students participating from about 16 companies, large and small, across FPA’s membership.
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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
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
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
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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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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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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Meet the FPA Staff
A Conversation With Alison Keane, FPA President and CEO
June 3, 2021
Continuing the Meet the FPA Staff series, FlexPack VOICE® catches up with Alison Keane, FPA president and CEO.
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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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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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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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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
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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