Where is the business of Flexible Packaging headed in 2019 and beyond?

At AMGRAPH, it has always been our belief that eco-friendly products solve critical problems, and that contributes to lasting economic success. Sustainability is not only the right thing to emphasize for the good of our planet; it simply makes good business sense. The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) recent published a detailed infographic summarizing their predictions for the future of flexible packaging, and their data echoes many of our core beliefs and key business practices. 

The FPA’s prediction for future business opportunities in flexible packaging include:

1. Innovating to fight food waste. Flexible packaging will continue to help to address a global need for reduced waste by decreasing food spoilage and waste. Proper flexible packaging extends shelf life, and as shelf life increases, food waste decreases. 

2. Higher packaging recovery goals. As the U.S. and other countries drive toward higher recovery goals, it will require additional focus on new flexible packaging recycling technologies and recovery systems. 

3. Waste management and recovery for flexible packaging. Maximizing value recovery and minimizing environmental impact at the point of package disposal is going to require education of consumers so that they will make the choice to recycle and recover. 

4. Integration with smart technology. Advances in technology help solve challenges within the packaging supply chain and encourage positive consumer behavior associated with end-of-life management of flexible packaging. 

5. Optimization for e-commerce. Lack of sustainable e-commerce packaging is increasingly a concern among consumers. Flexible packaging has an opportunity to reduce the amount of material used in e-commerce shipping, optimize shipping space on trucks and design packaging for easy returns.

For more than three decades, AMGRAPH has been a leader in sustainability, and we are proud to be on the cutting edge of many of the trends and innovations predicted by the FPA. To download a copy of their infographic with all the information on their research and sources, visit this link. And to review their entire report, “A Holistic View of the Role of Flexible Packaging in a Sustainable World,” visit their website here.