Shortly after Donald J. Trump took office on January 20, 2025,the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) reported that it intends to work with the Trump administration to advance the priorities of flexible packaging manufacturers nationwide.
Members of FPA, which is celebrating 75 years as an association in 2025, employ approximately 83,000 workers in the United States, according to the trade association based in Annapolis, Maryland. Issues affecting the industry include tariffs and regulations involving plastics and packaging such as extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws.
“FPA remains committed to preserving and advancing manufacturing and tax policies that allow for rapid investment in domestic manufacturing,” the association said in a statement. “Preserving policies from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act such as the pass-through deduction, full deduction of R&D expenses, full expensing of capital investments, and others will make American manufacturers more resilient and grow the nation’s economy.”
A key opportunity for the Trump administration will be to create a positive regulatory environment that will allow domestic packaging manufacturers to invest in their communities, said Dan Felton, FPA president and CEO, in a statement.
“The rapid growth of flexible packaging in the U.S. has made critical sectors like health and agriculture more sustainable and resilient, while making investments in communities across the nation,” Felton said in a statement.
FPA also said there are opportunities to work with the Trump administration “to ensure a circular and resilient domestic flexibles industry by promoting sound EPR policy, scaling advanced recycling to meet industry needs, and advocating for commonsense labeling laws.”
The association and its members are also hopeful for a refined approach to tariffs that benefit targeted industries while allowing for exemptions for the key inputs that resilient domestic industries rely on.
FPA’s advocacy efforts are outlined here.
More on Felton’s message on FPA’s response to the tariffs can be found here.