As the war with Iran closes out its 11th week, the threats to businesses no longer are theoretical — especially for plastics sectors, including packaging. Higher plastic prices and supply struggles are evident, and experts...

Healthcare depends on plastics in two critical ways: for frontline patient care and for sterile packaging. This creates a real paradox. Plastics help enable life-saving treatment, infection prevention, and reliable sterility. Yet when poorly managed,...

This year’s Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition carries special significance as we proudly celebrate the 70th anniversary of our flagship awards program—seven decades of honoring excellence, innovation, and leadership in flexible packaging. Since its inception...

Consolidation in the packaging sector is gaining pace as companies respond to cost pressure, sustainability demands, and shifting supply chains. The global packaging industry remains highly fragmented, yet rising input costs, regulatory requirements, and the...

Emerald Packaging, Inc. won two Silver Awards—for Packaging Excellence and Technical Innovation—in the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Competition for 2026. The entry that won the awards was the “30% Food-Contact Post-Consumer...

Jim Pease founded Sun Centre USA Inc. in 2015, leveraging his experience in the packaging industry to create a company that handles all packaging needs. From custom tooling to technical and mechanical support, Sun Centre’s...

Every surgical procedure in the U.S. depends on flexible sterile packaging, often in ways patients never see. It is estimated that a major inpatient surgery can require more than 200 sterilized instruments, devices, and accessories,...

A war is being waged against industrial progress, a quiet assault on the materials that empower human life. It is fought in the name of “sustainability” and “naturalness” by those who find virtue in limitation....

The packaging industry is adapting to prolonged disruption because short shocks are no longer the only risk. Packaging businesses now face a mix of energy volatility, higher freight costs, raw material swings and tighter customer...

The Plastics Industry Association's annual flagship publication, Size and Impact of the U.S. Plastics Industry, highlights an often underappreciated channel of plastics demand: services. In 2024, an estimated 74% of plastic products ultimately flowed into...

The Strait of Hormuz crisis is putting direct pressure on packaging supply because the packaging industry relies on the same energy and chemical flows that move through the Gulf. The strait is one of the...

Two printing giants, one shifting landscape. Sean Smyth, consultant and analyst at Smithers, breaks down the technology trends, growth markets, and competitive pressures reshaping the industry to 2030. Sean Smyth has spent more than 25...

Make or buy containers or packaging machines. This is a common decision for consumer goods packagers. Up to now, it usually didn’t include electrical power. Going forward, though, you might want to add this to...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the printing industry, offering a wide range of tools that boost productivity, unlock smarter customer insights, and enhance creativity across converter operations. For label and packaging converters, it’s no longer...

As costs decline and functionality expands, more consumer-packaged goods companies and OEMs are expanding usage of artificial intelligence (AI), according to a report released in February 2026 by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing...

In this Q&A, Sean Smyth, Smithers consultant and analyst with over 25 years of senior experience across the print and packaging supply chain, assesses the current state of play in flexo and gravure printing. Drawing...

In flexible packaging converting, scale used to be straightforward. Bigger presses. Longer runs. Higher utilization. Broader geographic reach. For decades, operational excellence meant driving down unit cost through repetition and volume. That definition of scale...

In honor of Women’s History Month, Parlor Talks host Kalie VanDewater sits down with Kasie Fairbarn, vice president of sales at Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. in Lincoln, Rhode Island; Adrianne Tipton, chief innovation and sustainability...

For print service providers (PSPs), shifting markets and changing expectations while still getting product out the back door on time is a huge focus, and can be a challenge. The reality is that print and...

As lawmakers around the world pursue ambitious sustainability goals for packaging, an essential sector of the healthcare supply chain has found itself at the center of an unexpected policy collision. For the Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council...

Over two days in November at the Flexible Packaging Association’s (FPA) Annapolis headquarters, an independent panel of industry experts assessed the best packaging offerings of the flexible packaging industry. A meeting room lined with samples...

Flexible packaging has become one of the most widely used forms of packaging in the United States, touching everything from grocery store shelves to hospital operating rooms. Yet as the industry grows, so do the...

The packaging industry has taken action on machine learning and gen AI. In commercial excellence, targeted use of gen AI could enhance pipeline confidence, improve conversion, and sustain growth. This is the first article in...

As consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands navigate 2026, success will be defined less by volume and more by clarity, speed, and adaptability. From curated brand portfolios and Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhancements to speed-to-market to visual...

For packaging and label printers, connected packaging represents a fundamental shift from commodity producer to strategic partner. The return on investment (ROI) brands can achieve creates sustained demand that transforms printer relationships from transactional to...

Growing consumer concerns about the environment are driving demand for environmentally responsible and sustainable packaging options for food products. Manufacturers are also focusing on improving their production processes, including packaging, to align with their sustainability...

About 95% of consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies say they are struggling to hire skilled operators and technicians. And nearly 60% expect hiring issues to become somewhat or more demanding in the future, according to...

The only constant in life is change, and in 2026 the packaging industry will once again need to flex its adaptation skills. For many companies, the year begins with reset portfolios, fresh leadership and eyes...