The packaging industry, like much of the world around us, is making strides to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The flexographic printing market is not exempt from these trends, and as printers begin to feel pressure from customers to become more sustainable, it is important to consider how and where to implement these changes.

In January, U.S. plastic bag manufacturers and recyclers signed a sustainability commitment for the industry and renamed its coalition the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance (ARPBA). The agreement by ARPBA members includes a target that 95% of plastic retail bags be reused or recycled by 2025.

I don’t know about you, but with a big family and friends gathering over the holidays, the question “What do you do, again?” comes up. I answer, and the inquiry ends, as people don’t quite understand the role of packaging.

While we wait for the FDA to compile and review the responses to its request for comments on Fixed Quantity Unit of Use Blisters Packaging, Docket No. FDA-2019-N-1845 in response to the SUPPORT Act of 2018, we want to take the safer packaging of opioids conversation a bit further.

The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) commissioned PTIS, LLC to provide a holistic view on the sustainability benefits that flexible packaging offers. The resulting report, “A Holistic View of the Role of Flexible Packaging in a Sustainable World,” achieved this goal.