Flexible Packaging Association

StayClean packaging from Amcor Flexibles earned a WorldStar award at the World Packaging Organization 2015 competition. The innovative packaging best serves the pharmaceutical and medical fields.

There are great initiatives in the works from forward-thinking groups like the Flexible Packaging Association, who has a strong focus on sustainable packaging. The FPA is working with several producers for packaging that is safe for the environment. The Sustainable Plastic Coalition, the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APPR); and The Flexible Film Recycling Group(FFRG), are also promoting and increasing public education and outreach on plastic film recycling.

I spent two days last month at the Flexible Packaging Association conference in Scottsdale where the centerpiece of the event was the annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards. It was flat-out inspiring to see the range of creativity and innovation being brought forward throughout this exciting industry segment. It leaves no doubt that flexible packaging is where we'll see some fine work from brand owners, designers and converters in the next few years.

The common trait of successful companies in a competitive market is doing whatever they do really well. For Multifilm Packaging, that requires a laser-like focus on a particular segment of food packaging. "We are not a general converter or a one-stop shop," affirms CEO Olle Mannertorp. "We specialize in the confectionary market and piece-wrap materials and produce barrier structures and materials for high-speed packaging lines. Integration is our key, including in-house extrusion and metallization."

It's probably no surprise to flexible package printers and converters that the various markets they serve are expanding. While not quite growing by leaps and bounds, flexible packaging is on the verge of being on a roll, and the future is bright.

The winning entries of the Flexible Packaging Association’s 57th annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards feature innovative enhancements that integrate consumer trends and needs with technical advancements in materials, graphics, structure, and sustainability to produce outstanding flexible packaging solutions.

News on printers in the packaging printing industry, including Constantia Flexibles Group and the Flexible Packaging Association's (FPA) 57th annual Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards winners.

The flexible packaging industry continues to play to its strengths in sustainability and novel and distinctive packaging configurations. It is doing this while using one of the key tools in its arsenal—innovation. So even though companies in this segment must maintain a tight ship during the economic up-hill climb, the future for this industry continues to be bright.

Coming on the heels of the Flexible Packaging Association's (FPA) highly successful 2013 Annual Meeting held late last month, this March issue of packagePRINTING includes several feature stories on this dynamic packaging segment.

packagePRINTING’s Excellence Awards competition, now in its 27th year, is unique in many ways. It not only includes all major packaging materials categories, such as tags and labels, flexible packaging, folding cartons, and corrugated, but also covers the major printing processes including flexo, offset, digital, gravure, screen, and any combination in between.