Labels continue to play a major role in business-to-consumer and business-to-business commerce, building brands, shipping, keeping track of inventory and, today, even talking to consumers.

Packaging is ever-changing, with new forms, materials and machinery becoming available each year. That is why PACK EXPO is a must-see event for many in the industry. With this year’s show just around the corner, here is a sampling of just a few of the thousands of products that will be on display.

In today’s marketplace, it seems bioplastics would be the perfect answer. Nowhere would this be more important than in the flexible packaging segment, which faces growing concerns about the use of plastics — its primary material.

Consumer packaged goods companies are all abuzz these days as they implement new sustainability initiatives. Indeed, Harvard Business Review says: “Sustainability is the new mantra for strategic differentiation.

Improving the sustainability of flexible packaging was a recurring theme at this year’s Global Pouch Forum. While pouches are one of the most sustainable forms of packaging, flexible packaging may still face unfavorable public perceptions.

The Flexible Packaging Association’s (FPA) report, A Holistic View of the Role of Flexible Packaging in a Sustainable World, highlights the sustainability benefits of flexible packaging. FPA commissioned PTIS, LLC to provide a holistic view on sustainability benefits.

The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) created an infographic which illustrates that consumers are conscious about packaging sustainability and showing their appreciation of sustainable packaging at the checkout counter.

Innovia Films is launching the first of its new range of transparent high-barrier packaging films, Propafilm Strata SL. It has been designed to be a standalone mono filmic solution or for use in laminate constructions that are recyclable.

Steeped, Inc., a Santa Cruz, CA-based startup that is revolutionizing the way people prepare and enjoy premium single-serve coffee, won the Best New Product award at the 2019 Specialty Coffee Expo in Boston for their packaging made using renewable and compostable materials.

FPA commissioned PTIS, LLC to provide a holistic view on the sustainability benefits that flexible packaging offers; provide foresight into future sustainability implications for flexible packaging; and develop six Life Cycle Assessment case studies comparing flexible packaging to other packaging formats across a range of products.