The flexible packaging industry has been at the forefront of packaging innovation since the early 1950s, driving advancements in product protection, packaging design, performance, consumer convenience, and sustainability.
The unique attributes of flexible packaging offer significant benefits to the environment, consumers, and businesses alike. The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) plays a crucial role in enhancing the industry’s financial and economic understanding by gathering, analyzing, and disseminating key industry and economic data. This information provides valuable insights into the health and performance of essential industry attributes. Below are some valuable resources FPA offers to the industry and its members.
State of the Industry Report
The “State of the U.S. Flexible Packaging Industry Report” (SOI) is widely regarded as a definitive resource for anyone involved in the flexible packaging industry, including those engaged in converting, supplying, purchasing, tracking, reporting on, or investing in the sector.
The annual SOI provides a comprehensive overview of the U.S. packaging industry, with a particular focus on flexible packaging. It includes vital data on industry growth, mergers and acquisitions, U.S. and global market trends, imports and exports, key issues and drivers, and important expense information.
Additionally, the SOI offers a detailed breakdown of the flexible packaging industry by major end-use segments, including retail food and non-food, institutional food and non-food, industrial applications, medical and pharmaceuticals, and consumer products.
In recent years, FPA has also conducted a nonmember outreach survey to gather valuable data from industry players outside of the membership, adding further depth and perspective to the report.
To enrich the analysis, FPA leverages data from authoritative sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Departments of Labor and Commerce, industry analysts, and investment banking reports.
The report is available free of charge to FPA members as a member benefit and can be purchased by nonmembers for $4,500.
Flexible Packaging Market Tracker
FPA collaborates with Euromonitor International to provide members with valuable market data and insights. Euromonitor’s global database offers current and forecasted data on packaging units across all industry segments. FPA integrates select data from Euromonitor’s Intelligence into new reports and original materials, including the SOI.
FPA and Euromonitor developed the Flexible Packaging Market Tracker, a powerful research tool covering 20 key flexible packaging markets worldwide. Drawing directly from Euromonitor’s proprietary “Passport” database, the tracker delivers insights into market dynamics, trends, and global expansion opportunities. Available exclusively to FPA members, this feature enhances the FPA website by enabling users to track and compare flexible packaging markets worldwide.
Beyond flexible packaging, the tracker also provides insights into nonflexible packaging sectors, enabling members to gain a deeper understanding of the broader global packaging landscape. It supports strategic decision-making by identifying opportunities for technical innovation, market expansion, and business growth in the evolving packaging industry.
Quarterly Data Reports
This series of quarterly surveys titled “Pulse of the Industry” is designed to collect data and provide FPA members with detailed insights into performance across several key industry metrics, including sales revenue, volume, inventory, capital expenditures, profitability, and utilization. The survey data compares performance in the latest quarter with both the previous quarter and the same quarter from the prior year. Additionally, the survey captures members’ forecasts for sales and volume in the upcoming quarter, offering valuable insights into future industry trends and expectations.
Annual Cost Earnings Report
Published annually, this report provides an in-depth analysis of key operating factors, including cost components such as labor, sales, general and administrative expenses, materials, manufacturing costs, receivables aging, capital spending, and inventory turnover. It also offers valuable insights into asset productivity and profitability, with detailed year-over-year comparisons to highlight performance trends. The report is only available to those FPA converter members participating in the corresponding survey.
Industry Compensation Report
Conducted every three years, or more frequently in response to significant events that could impact the industry’s employment landscape, this report provides detailed information on salary levels and hourly rates within the flexible packaging industry. The data is broken down by company and plant size, region, and primary manufacturing operations. The most recent report, published in 2023, covers 2021 data, and the next survey will be conducted in 2025, reflecting 2024 data. This report is exclusively available to those FPA converter members participating in the corresponding survey.
‘Polyolefin Market Report’
The biannual “Polyolefin Market Report” analyzes key factors affecting the cost and availability of flexible packaging materials. Prepared by Chemical & Polymer Market Consultants, these reports offer insights into trends in polypropylene and polyethylene, presented at the Annual Meeting and the FlexForward® Conference.
‘Supply Chain Report’
FPA collaborates with Industry Intelligence Inc. to deliver the daily “Supply Chain Report,” providing real-time insights into supply chain developments. This custom report, tailored for key contacts at each member company, covers critical topics such as technology, potential disruptions, consumer trends, security, sourcing, and economic shifts. FPA and Industry Intelligence recognize that timely, relevant information is essential for navigating today’s dynamic business landscape, helping members stay informed and prepared for emerging challenges.
Industry Best Practices Report
To better understand the challenges consumer packaged goods (CPGs) face when transitioning between flexible materials, FPA partnered with PMMI Media Group Custom Research to develop industry best practices.
This initiative aimed to identify key operational hurdles and barriers in CPG production lines and provide a strategic guide for overcoming them. The resulting best practices document titled “Transitioning Flexible Materials Best Practice” is a valuable resource for CPGs, original equipment manufacturers, and material suppliers and converters, offering insights into the most effective strategies for seamless material transitions in flexible packaging production.
Conclusion
The flexible packaging industry continues to evolve, driven by innovation, sustainability, and efficiency.
As the industry continues to grow, access to reliable market data and insights becomes increasingly critical for businesses to navigate challenges and seize new opportunities. Through its comprehensive research, reports, and partnerships, FPA remains a trusted resource, equipping its members with valuable intelligence to support strategic decision-making.
By providing essential industry data, best practices, and market analyses, FPA strengthens the industry’s ability to adapt, compete, and thrive in a rapidly changing landscape.
For more information on FPA’s industry resources, visit flexpack.org/resources/industry-info.
Dani Diehlmann is FPA vice president, communications.