FPA’s New Government Relations Committee Takes Shape
The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) recently formed a new Government Relations Committee (GRC) to help the trade organization formulate official policy statements on issues important to the flexible packaging industry.
The GRC, which is expected to include up to 30 key decision-makers from FPA member companies, will begin work this summer, says John Richard, FPA’s director of government relations.
Five Top Concerns
Before the committee formed, Richard polled FPA member organizations to ask which legislative issues would be important this year and beyond. The survey results identified five topics that are listed here in order of importance:
- Extended producer responsibility
- Tariffs
- “Toxics” legislation
- Advanced recycling
- Product labeling laws
Further, 89% of survey respondents felt FPA should focus on those five issues, according to the association based in Annapolis, Maryland.
“That is going to be our North Star in the discussions with the committee,” says Dan Felton, FPA president and CEO. “We will get the direction from them on what they want us to focus on, and then, we’ll go forward and do it.”
Those discussions might lead to formal policy positions on some issues, while others might lead to statements of principle or other guidance that is less formal, Felton adds.
Consolidating Efforts
Part of the impetus behind the GRC was to consolidate various advocacy efforts into a single entity. FPA has numerous councils and committees—such as the Sterilization Packaging Manufacturers Council, Emerging Leadership Council, and Environmental, Health, and Safety Committee—that sometimes work in the advocacy and public policy arenas. The GRC will provide oversight to avoid duplications of effort, Felton says.
“Our policy work will be more centered versus the different groups within FPA dipping their toes into some of these issues in a silo,” Felton says. “The Government Relations Committee can take point.”
Other Concerns
The Policy Pulse Survey from March 2025 also identified other issues, including “bans,” “manufacturing guidelines to enhance recyclability,” and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Felton adds that the GRC will be a long-term, ongoing committee with a formal leadership structure.
Other FPA surveys conducted annually have shown that FPA member companies have concerns outside the advocacy arena, such as workforce development.
FPA will continue to promote resources that handle workforce development, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but those types of efforts, at least for now, will not be a focus for the GRC, Richard says.
Thomas A. Barstow is senior editor at FlexPack VOICE®.