Amcor Flexibles traces its roots to the 1860s in Australia, when it was known as Australian Paper Manufacturers. In 1950, the company became one of the first members of the National Flexible Packaging Association, now known as the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), based in Annapolis, Maryland.
That means that two organizations share a common milestone of being connected for the 75 years since FPA’s founding. Their alliance has grown through the decades, including with William “Bill” Jackson, Ph.D., being the immediate past chair of the trade association’s board of directors.
“Amcor, as the largest global flexible packaging company, has a responsibility to the consumer, producers, the industry, and the planet to be thoughtful and responsible in providing cost-effective and environmentally friendly packaging solutions,” says Jackson, Amcor’s chief technology officer. “We value listening to and partnering with members of the FPA to align our industry approach to matters that include advocacy, legislation, materials of concern, sustainability, and labor continuity.”
Reaching Milestones With FPA
That dedication is common among FPA members, with 20 of them reaching other milestones with the organization in 2025. Each year, FlexPack VOICE® contacts companies that have been FPA members going back in five-year increments to gain their insights into the packing industry and current trends as they start to look toward the new year. Those anniversaries in 2025 include five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 35, and 75 years. The 20 companies are listed on page 15, and they range from converters to those that serve the packaging industry in various ways.
For example, eProductivity Software (ePS) provides software solutions to the flexible, label, folding carton, and corrugated segments of the packaging industry.
“Being an FPA member for 25 years is more than a milestone. It reflects our ongoing commitment to the industry,” says Chris Wood, regional director for North America at ePS.
Wood adds that there are two main reasons FPA is important to ePS. “FPA provides a vital forum to stay aligned with regulatory, sustainability, and technological trends. And secondly, being part of this community helps us keep our customers at the forefront of what’s next, and it enables us to listen to their needs and be ready with solutions that enable them to achieve their business goals.”
The collaboration, education, and shared voice that FPA fosters shape a stronger future for the flexible packaging industry, Wood also says.
Industry Outlook
Of the companies that responded, many of their comments were similar when it came to current challenges and their expectations for 2026. And those insights often touched on FPA’s four pillars: Educate and Inform, Relevance and Expansion, Association Strength, and Advocate and Protect.
Advocacy has been especially important this year with the new leaders in Washington, D.C., representatives of several companies say.
“As we move through 2025, one of the most significant influences on our business—and the flexible packaging industry as a whole—has been the dynamic shift brought on by a new presidential administration,” says Tim Lewis, vice president of global sales and marketing at CMD Corporation. CMD has been an FPA member for five years. Based in Appleton, Wisconsin, it designs and manufactures high-performance equipment for pouch converting, bagmaking, and automation. “With new leadership comes a fresh set of priorities, and this year we’ve seen a marked acceleration in regulatory changes surrounding sustainability, emissions, and material use within packaging.”
Like other companies, CMD has navigated uncertainty over trade policies, as well as evolving labor regulations and other issues, which have added layers of complexity to its supply chain and workforce planning, Lewis adds.
“Tariff adjustments on raw materials, components, and finished goods have directly impacted our international business—particularly as we serve global customers and collaborate with international partners,” he says.
When talking about headwinds, most of the companies point to regulatory concerns and the extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws that have been passed in seven states so far. Those states are California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington. The implementation of EPR laws has been picking up momentum this year and will accelerate in 2026.
“As more states follow suit, it is imperative that policymakers establish clear, consistent, and harmonized regulatory frameworks nationwide. Fragmented or ambiguous rules create unnecessary complexity and hinder innovation,” Jackson says. “For companies like Amcor that are investing heavily in sustainable packaging solutions, regulatory predictability is essential. A stable and coherent policy environment enables businesses to accurately assess risk, allocate capital efficiently, and accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation, circular products.”
H.B. Fuller, which specializes in sustainable adhesive solutions, would like to see an alignment with national standards, too.
“Right now, recycling policies vary widely by state and municipality,” says Monica Scott, H.B. Fuller’s North America sales manager—flexible packaging. Like other companies, H.B. Fuller believes that the federal government could help by establishing uniform definitions and labeling standards, such as what qualifies as recyclable or compostable, promoting harmonized recycling guidelines to reduce consumer confusion, and creating a national framework for EPR.
The company thinks the federal government could do more to back chemical recycling technologies and provide funding for improving recycling infrastructure.
“Chemical recycling remains controversial in some circles due to concerns about emissions and energy use,” Scott says. “The government could set clear environmental and safety standards for these technologies and ensure regulatory pathways that distinguish advanced recycling from traditional incineration, when appropriate.”
Supply chain disruptions caused by tariffs, cost inflation, and sustainability pressures are among some of the other issues affecting the company this year, says Scott about H.B. Fuller, which has been an FPA member for 15 years.
“Regulatory and consumer demand for sustainable packaging has accelerated. We have had to invest more in R&D to develop recyclable and compostable adhesives, while also navigating evolving legislation,” she says. “Much of the legislation varies by state, creating a complicated regulatory landscape.”
Those issues are expected again in 2026, Scott and others say.
“Effective circular economy approaches require clear political frameworks,” says Chris Marposon, director of sales for consumer packaging at RKW North America, an FPA member company for 15 years, too. The company encourages targeted investment in collection, sorting, and recycling infrastructure, as well as promoting companies that are building new recycling technologies.
“Rather than more bans, the focus should be on leveraging the full potential of modern packaging materials,” Marposon says. “Clear standards, targeted funding programs, and improved access to financial support for sustainable packaging solutions are also essential.”
Marposon and Susan Chute, who is with RKW’s expert application engineering and R&D technical films, say that the flexible packaging sector will face pressure to achieve sustainability targets and to comply with regulatory requirements, such as EPR and taxes. They suggest that the industry’s central focus will remain on implementing circular economy principles and adapting to economic and labor challenges.
“The labor shortage and challenging working conditions in attracting and retaining qualified employees is increasingly difficult,” Chute says.
ProAmpac, an FPA member for 20 years, also cites labor as one of its significant challenges, says Sachin Desai, president and chief operating officer at the flexible packaging company. When it comes to attracting labor for manufacturing jobs, Desai says, “recruiting for skilled talent continues to be a priority.”
Other challenges facing ProAmpac include ongoing supply chain disruptions, customer demands for faster speed-to-market that will drive innovation and operational agility, and regulatory pressures, chiefly with EPR.
Looking ahead, Desai says ProAmpac supports more development of advanced recycling infrastructure to improve overall recycling rates and to provide increased demand for nonvirgin resin. “That will likely require broader industry, government, and private sector collaboration,” he adds.
Looking forward with supply chains, Brady O’Mary, senior marketing manager at Transcendia Inc., says she expects companies will seek out reliable suppliers who can add value and help improve overall performance, and those goals will bolster businesses in the U.S.
“Customers are placing increased value on working with domestic manufacturers and suppliers to avoid disruptions and reduce risk, and we expect this to continue into 2026 and beyond,” O’Mary says. An FPA member for 20 years, Transcendia is a manufacturer and converter of barrier and nonbarrier films for the healthcare, biopharma, food, protective packaging, and print graphics markets.
A key phrase for this year has been “heightened uncertainty,” O’Mary says. However, she remains optimistic.
“Each day is another opportunity to learn how to best adapt to and prepare for unanticipated shifts in the market, supply chain, and macroeconomic environment,” she says.
Thomas A. Barstow is senior editor of FlexPack VOICE®.
These Companies Reached Five-Year Milestones With FPA in 2025
75 YEARS
- Amcor Flexibles
35 YEARS
- AMGRAPH Packaging, Inc.
25 YEARS
- eProductivity Software
20 YEARS
- Belmark Inc
- Flex Films (USA) Inc.
- Prime Packaging, LLC
- ProAmpac
- Transcendia
15 YEARS
- H.B. Fuller
- RKW North America, Inc.
- SunFlex Packagers Inc.
10 YEARS
- ACTEGA
- INDEVCO Packaging Solutions
- MacDermid Graphics Solutions
- ZACROS America, Inc.
5 YEARS
- ALLIEDFLEX Technologies, Inc.
- Avery Dennison Corporation
- CMD Corporation
- Maxcess International
- Rol-Vac, LP