Trade groups nationwide, including the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), are carefully monitoring the Trump administration’s expansion of steel and aluminum tariffs.
President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order (EO) on February 10, 2025, imposing a 25% tariff on U.S. imports of steel and aluminum starting on March 12, 2025.
“We are actively engaged with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), and the National Foreign Trade Council’s Tariff Reform Coalition to assist us with understanding possible tariff regimes and help guide any engagement strategies we may develop and implement to potentially respond on behalf of FPA members and the U.S. flexible packaging industry,” said Dan Felton, FPA president and CEO, in a February 12, 2025, statement.
“The tariff landscape remains extremely dynamic and fluid, and what we know today could be completely different or obsolete in the coming days, weeks, and months.”
FPA unsuccessfully fought to reverse aluminum tariffs that were imposed on China during Trump’s first term and then expanded under the administration of President Joe Biden to South Korea and Thailand. The EO signed this past week would expand tariffs to all imports of steel and aluminum.
The packaging industry uses aluminum foil in many products, and opponents of the tariffs point out that there is not enough domestic capacity to meet demand for foil.
NAM has a fact sheet available about the new EO.