The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), the leading advocate and voice for the growing U.S. flexible packaging industry, has announced that its newest report, the FPA/PMMI Best Practice: Transitioning Flexible Materials Report, is now available. 

As the focus on sustainability continues, many flexible packaging manufacturers and consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs) are looking to incorporate more sustainable options into their packaging. These options may include incorporating post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, using biodegradable or compostable materials, transitioning to a mono-material structure vs. a multi-layer structure, and switching from a plastic structure to a paper structure. Incorporating these changes often requires a transition between flexible materials which may result in operational challenges. 

To help identify the key challenges experienced by CPGs when transitioning between different flexible materials, the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) partnered with PMMI Media Group Custom Research to develop best practices to address these challenges. The main objectives of the project were to uncover the key operational challenges and barriers to switching between flexible materials in CPG production lines; and to create a best practices document as an industry guide for CPGs, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and materials suppliers/converters on the most effective way to transition between flexible materials. 

The best practices document that was developed can be used as a tool to educate customers on how to use the OEMs’ products or services. It can provide guidelines and tips on best practices for installation, operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting. By using the document, OEMs can ensure that their customers are using their products or services in a standardized and consistent manner which can help to reduce errors and improve overall quality and performance. 

The sponsors of the best practices document include FPA, The Association of Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI), and the OpX Leadership Network. PMMI is a trade association of more than 900 member companies that manufacture packaging, processing, and related converting machinery in North America; including machinery components and packaging containers and materials. Facilitated by PMMI, the OpX Leadership Network is a community of manufacturing, engineering, and operations professionals dedicated to operational excellence. Through open dialogue between CPG manufacturers and OEMs, the OpX Leadership Network provides a forum to identify and solve common operational challenges and apply best practices and innovative solutions to the real-world context of manufacturing. 

The report is available on the FPA website, www.flexpack.org.