Building on its 2018 work, the Flexible Packaging Association released updated sustainability materials in 2019 documenting industry progress on material efficiency, transportation benefits, and end-of-life initiatives. The reports arrived as U.S. retailers intensified supplier questionnaires on plastic use and recyclability claims.
FPA emphasized that flexible packaging's lightweight nature continued to deliver greenhouse-gas advantages in distribution versus heavier rigid formats—a message converters used when customers proposed simplistic material bans. Simultaneously, the association acknowledged collection gaps and promoted How2Recycle labeling participation and store drop-off partnerships.
Member converters highlighted investments in solventless lamination, energy recovery on dryers, and internal scrap regranulation. Flexo houses documented water-based and EB ink adoption where customer specifications allowed. These capital projects aligned with FPA messaging that sustainability required manufacturing process upgrades—not only material swaps.
Brand owner procurement teams increasingly requested data aligned with association frameworks—creating documentation burdens but also standardizing conversations across suppliers. Plants without robust batch traceability struggled to respond to audit requests comparing ink, adhesive, and film sources across production lots.
The 2019 FPA sustainability update reinforced a dual strategy for U.S. converters: defend flexible packaging's life-cycle strengths while visibly investing in recyclable structures and collection partnerships. Equipment purchases supporting both high-performance barrier work and mono-material trials reflected that balanced portfolio approach.