We’re continuing our 75th anniversary celebration for the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) with a spotlight on the 1990s. During this time, a revolution in information exchange took place. Faxes, modems, and email became routine tools for conducting business. FPA had always focused on providing information to its members, but during the 90s, the audience for these services and the information conveyed grew dramatically, along with the media used for delivery.
The Association not only offered comprehensive and complex information about technology, industry statistics, trends, laws, and regulations to its members, but also to legislators, regulators, educators, and the general public.
World Events
- 1990 – Germany is reunited
- 1991 – USSR is formally dissolved; the Persian Gulf War begins and ends in less than 3 months
- 1994 – A major earthquake strikes Los Angeles
- 1997 – Scottish researchers clone a sheep named “Dolly”; the Kosovo Conflict breaks out as NATO initiates a campaign of air strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- 1998 – The U.S. House of Representatives votes to impeach President Bill Clinton; John Glenn returns to space at age 77
- 1999 – The U.S. Women’s soccer team wins the World Cup before over 90,000 spectators at the Rose Bowl
FPA Milestones
1991 – FPA’s Chair Advisory Council acknowledged the need for more detailed information on industry statistics and trends, appointing Bret Biggers as the FPA’s Director of Statistics. Bret later served as FPA’s Director of Business and Economic Research.
1991 – FPA publishes the first State of the U.S. Flexible Packaging Industry Report. Biggers initiated the report, which became the definitive source for professionals in the flexible packaging industry, examining future trends, aiding budget planning, and serving as a reference for both current and historical data.
1993 – FPA’s Flexible Packaging Educational Foundation is formed. Solid waste legislation remained dynamic in the 1990s, and since misconceptions about solid waste and source reduction were not exclusive to government officials but also prevalent among the public, there was a need to provide more information to the public.
1994 – FPA developed the first source reduction logo: Source Reduction, Less Waste in the First Place®. Working with Baltimore-based designer, Charles Frank, FPA developed the logo with a diminishing dot pattern “to convey the minimization of waste achieved through source reduction.”
1994 – The Sterilization Packaging Manufacturing Council (SPMC) of the Flexible Packaging Association was formed in June 1994 to develop sterile packaging standards and reproducible test methods that could improve the safety of medical device packaging.
1999 – FPA launched an improved, comprehensive website under the direction of Susan Dorn, FPA’s Director of Public Relations. FPA President Braswell stated that Karen Malling Vasquez, the project’s creative leader, and Michael Flanigan, who oversaw its technical aspects, “did a tremendous job.”
1999 – The Flexible Packaging: The Official Magazine for the Flexible Packaging Association debuted. The magazine was produced as a joint venture between FPA and Independent Publishing Company.
1999 – FPA was given the “APEX 99 Award for Publication Excellence” in the category of special reports for the 1998 State of the U.S. Flexible Packaging Industry Report.
Want to see more milestones and industry innovations from the 1990s? Check out our interactive timeline here!
