The Advocating for Sustainability Committee of the Emerging Leadership Council (ELC) of the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) has been busy this year. Since 2023, the team restructured and is once again falling under a single umbrella with many projects. Emily Williams, sustainability and innovation partnerships leader at TC Transcontinental Packaging, was elected vice-chair, and Monica Scott, strategic account manager with H.B. Fuller, is the chair.
The ELC’s Washington, D.C., fly-in took place on June 27, 2024, and included meetings with staffers and legislators from 18 offices. ELC representatives had the opportunity to connect with individuals from the offices where their manufacturing facilities are located.
Topics discussed included:
- Harmonization of labeling requirements at the federal level rather than a 50-state approach,
- Extended producer responsibility,
- Viable circularity solutions for all packaging types,
- Investments in mechanical and advanced recycling infrastructure,
- Investments in industrial composting systems,
- Fair trade policies that do not pick U.S. winners and losers,
- Elimination of duties and tariffs on packaging-grade aluminum foil unless—and until—it is manufactured in the quality and quantity necessary to support domestic flexible packaging, and
- Congressional oversight of the executive power to implement duties and tariffs.
The relationships are bearing fruit. A representative’s office has reached out for comments on a potential bill, and FPA member companies are providing feedback on how it impacts the representative’s constituents. Because of these successes, the fly-in will continue to be an annual event for the ELC.
Other Initiatives
The Advocating for Sustainability Committee has a few key objectives for the rest of 2024. One goal of the fly-in was to foster relationships with committee members and their local politicians, working toward generating interest in hosting these legislators for site visits.
On September 5, 2024, Peter Dickow, west Michigan regional director from U.S. Sen. Gary Peters’ (D-Mich.) office, visited Profile Films’ Grand Rapids facility. ELC member Teddy Ehmann, sales manager at Profile Films, assisted with that effort.
Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corporation had Pamela Azar, a town council member from Lincoln, Rhode Island, attend a groundbreaking ceremony of a new facility this summer in Rhode Island.
ELC members also participated in Manufacturing Month, which took place in October. Working with Capitoline Consulting LLC, a virtual open house for legislators was planned. This event included introductions to flexible packaging, virtual facility tours, and a potential Q&A with ELC members. More details will be provided later.
Thank you to the member companies that participated in the annual fly-in. And thank you to those who are looking to plan a site visit this year. We could not do this without the support of our ELC members. If you would like to host a legislator for a site visit at your facility, reach out to anyone on the Advocating for Sustainability Committee.
Editor’s note: in the featured, from left, the Emerging Leadership Council and Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) members who attended the fly-in include Alison Keane, former president and CEO at FPA; Kimberly Weiss, director of sales operations at Glenroy, Inc.; Monica Scott, strategic account manager for flexible packaging at H.B. Fuller; Allison Holzshu, vice president of product management in Berry Global’s Flexibles Division; Emily Williams, sustainability and innovation partnerships leader at TC Transcontinental Packaging; John J. Richard, director of government relations at FPA; Julia Cardamone, business development executive at PPC Flex; Kasie Fairbarn, vice president of sales at Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corporation; and Caleb Triplett, director of product management in Berry Global’s Flexible Packaging/Engineered Materials Division.