Liqui-Box has agreed to acquire DS Smith plc’s Plastics Division to create a comprehensive, innovative leader in flexible and rigid packaging.

The cannabis packaging market has undergone significant growth, and various companies in many segments have recently launched recyclable packaging — such as metal cans, compostable cellophane bags and compostable pouches. Product marketing through packaging should be a focus, but meeting local and federal laws is critical for success.

Toray Plastics (America) has joined the SPC, a membership-based collaborative that believes in the power of industry to make packaging more sustainable. 

Amazon’s decision to move to lightweight flexible plastic mailers over its traditional cardboard boxes will likely set a trend for the rest of the industry, according to Wood Mackenzie Chemicals’ recent Q1 2019 Flexible Packaging Global Market Overview.

Small changes can create significant cost savings in packaging, so it’s no wonder the industrial internet of things (IIoT) is a trend that continues to grow within the broader digital transformation efforts.

With each passing year, the legalized cannabis industry grows as the stigma associated with it decreases. Ten states currently permit recreational marijuana, over 20 more permit medicinal use, and annual nationwide spending on legal cannabis is projected to reach nearly $50 billion in the next decade.

The global cook-in bags market is expected to post a CAGR of over 6 percent during the period 2019-2023, according to Technavio. A key factor driving growth is increased awareness about food hygiene. 

It is a new year — with a new Congress, and many new state legislatures — but the same trade wars and scrutiny over packaging and plastics exists; so, what is the outlook for flexible packing in the U.S.? Still strong and growing.

Snack bar POP launched in the U.K. with a product strategy, visual and verbal identity that stays true to a single core ingredient — peanuts.

Whether avoiding a certain food type is due to an allergy, or a preference, retailers around the world are embracing the growing free-from culture. In the U.S. alone, 3.1 million people follow a gluten-free diet. 72 per cent of these are classified as PWAGs — people without celiac disease avoiding gluten.