Fifty nifty United States … from thirteen original colonies.

So begins the song they taught us in grade school … the song that eventually rattles off all 50 states alphabetically. I imagine some elementary schools are still using this fun educational ditty to this day.

With so much attention currently focused on what’s happening in Washington, D.C., it’s refreshing to see that a lot of breaking news related to the packaging industry is originating at the state level. In addition to the all-important Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging laws that have been passed by several states, economic development as it relates to new or expanded packaging facilities has been making headlines.

Extended Producer Responsibility

Of course, one of the biggest headlines in recent weeks related to EPR is that of Maryland Governor Wes Moore signing that state’s EPR bill into law in mid-May. With that signing, Maryland became the sixth state in the U.S. to enact such packaging EPR legislation — after Maine (2021), Oregon (2021), Colorado (2022), California (2022), and Minnesota (2024).

Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) — which has helped enact 142 EPR laws across 20 product categories in 33 states — lauded Governor Moore’s signing of the bill (SB 901). PSI provided a thoughtful assessment of how the law will impact Marylanders, which Packaging Strategies shared on the day of the bill’s signing.

Also in May, Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed an EPR bill into law. Our reporting on that development can be found here.

It’s worth noting that Packaging Strategies recently established an EPR topic page dedicated to all things EPR as it relates to packaging. I encourage you to check it out.

Economic Development

Just as exciting as what’s happening on the EPR front is what’s happening in terms of investments in packaging facilities in the United States.

In May, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that Dubai-based Hotpack was taking a major step forward in its international expansion strategy with a $100-million investment to establish a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Edison, N.J. The project marks Hotpack’s first production base in North America. Packaging Strategies’ reporting on this exciting investment can be found here.

In April, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear congratulated Morris Packaging, a leading Minority Business Enterprise-certified manufacturer of flexible products, on plans to build a new $60.9-million production plant in Marion County. The more-than-100,000-square-foot facility in Lebanon will provide Morris Packaging with increased printing and bag converting capacity and provide a redundancy option to its customers across the United States. Packaging Strategies’ reporting on this exciting development can be found here.

In October 2024, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced an investment of $500,000 from the Commonwealth to support Flexopack USA Inc. in establishing its first American manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. Based in Greece, Flexopack USA will construct a 107,000-square-foot facility in North Lebanon Township — expanding the company’s footprint into the United States, including its role as the primary packaging supplier for Pennsylvania-based poultry company Bell & Evans. Packaging Strategies’ reporting on this development can be found here.

We here at Packaging Strategies look forward to sharing more exciting stories on U.S. governors demonstrating their interest and involvement in the packaging industry, whether with regard to EPR or economic development.

Brad Addington
Chief Editor, Packaging Strategies
(248) 227-4727
addingtonb@bnpmedia.com