Though the short-term outlook for flexible packaging remains very positive, the industry must adjust to certain factors that have the potential to ensure its long-term success.

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t just score points on the field this past football season – they also scored a major victory for the environment. 

From the opening keynote to a special panel discussion on materials for standup pouches, sustainability and the future of flexible packaging recyclability were two topics discussed to at least some extent in nearly every presentation at the recent Global Pouch West.

The seams of food packaging versatility are being stretched to the bursting point as both regulators and consumers push packaging evolution in a fast-growing market, one that is seeing an increased demand for toxin-free, high-performance food-safe inks.

Multi-material flexible packaging is material-efficient, lightweight and low impact, but its inability to be effectively recycled or otherwise recovered in an environmentally beneficial manner has always been its Achilles’ heel.

Flexible packaging is proving to be one of the fastest growing segments in the rapidly changing print market.

While consumer packaging waste has been a key focus over the last decade, commercial and industrial packaging is being scrutinized now more than ever.

For Fritz Yambrach, professor and director of packaging at San Jose State University in California, decades of experience in the packaging industry and concern for access to water in impoverished or disaster areas led to an idea for a simple, yet life-changing solution: the Fritz Water Vest.

It’s estimated that 18,000 single-serve coffee pods are discarded every minute. In fact, lined up, the pods that are thrown away each year could circle the Earth more than 10 times. 

New developments in flexible packaging aren't just making the packaging format more convenient for the consumer, but for the environment as well.