Every American interacts with flexible packaging dozens of times each day—often without realizing it. From the resealable pouch keeping your coffee fresh, to the sterile wrap protecting medical supplies, to the lightweight bags making food shipments more efficient, flexible packaging quietly supports our economy, health, and environment.
What Is Flexible Packaging?
Flexible packaging refers to any package or packaging component made from materials such as paper, plastic, foil, metalized or coated paper and film—or a combination of these—whose shape can be readily changed. This includes items like pouches, bags, films, foils, and coated papers used to protect, preserve, and deliver products safely and efficiently.
These materials have revolutionized how we store, ship, and consume products—reducing waste while increasing convenience and safety.
These materials have revolutionized how we store, ship, and consume products—reducing waste while increasing convenience and safety.
Why It Matters
Annually, the U.S. flexible packaging industry directly contributes $51.5 billion to the U.S. economy, representing about 20% of the entire packaging market. As the nation’s second-largest packaging segment, it supports tens of thousands of American jobs across manufacturing, logistics, design, and materials innovation.
But this is more than an economic success story—it’s a sustainability and innovation story. Because it’s lightweight and resource-efficient, flexible packaging reduces emissions throughout the supply chain. It also helps fight one of the largest contributors to climate change – methane emissions from food waste – by keeping products fresh longer.
But this is more than an economic success story—it’s a sustainability and innovation story. Because it’s lightweight and resource-efficient, flexible packaging reduces emissions throughout the supply chain. It also helps fight one of the largest contributors to climate change – methane emissions from food waste – by keeping products fresh longer.
Where Public Policy Intersects
Flexible packaging touches nearly every major issue in today’s public policy debates:
Each of these areas presents an opportunity for state and federal elected officials to align innovation with sustainability, ensuring that policy decisions reflect both environmental goals and practical realities.
- Recycling infrastructure and circular economy legislation
- Extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs
- Food safety and labeling regulations
- Trade and supply chain resilience
Each of these areas presents an opportunity for state and federal elected officials to align innovation with sustainability, ensuring that policy decisions reflect both environmental goals and practical realities.
Who We Are
The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) represents manufacturers, suppliers, and innovators across this vital U.S. sector. Our mission is simple: to provide policymakers with clear, data-driven insights that inform smarter decisions for sustainability, competitiveness, and public health.
In the coming months, FPA will continue its “Unpacking Flexible Packaging” series by sharing LinkedIn articles that examine how this industry advances national goals, covering areas like sustainability, employment, innovation, and safety.
Flexible packaging may not make daily headlines on Capitol Hill and in our state capitols, but its impact reaches every American home, business, and community.
In the coming months, FPA will continue its “Unpacking Flexible Packaging” series by sharing LinkedIn articles that examine how this industry advances national goals, covering areas like sustainability, employment, innovation, and safety.
Flexible packaging may not make daily headlines on Capitol Hill and in our state capitols, but its impact reaches every American home, business, and community.
💬 Tell us: What’s one thing you learned about flexible packaging that you didn’t know before?
Follow FPA to see how smart, sustainable packaging drives both economic growth and environmental progress.
