Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover Makes Flexible Plastic Packaging Appealing

Mike Salmon Flexible film packaging and bags have been under the microscope by certain groups across the nation, being labeled as environmentally unfriendly without fully examining all the angles and advantages. As those in the industry know, flexible packaging uses less material and energy when being produced, and therefore is not nearly as costly as other packaging alternatives. Many times, even the transportation of flexible-packaged items is easier and cheaper, making flexible film and bags an attractive option from a bottom-line perspective.

At SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, we are intimately familiar with all the developments in the world of flexible film packaging. SPI stays on top of the latest industry news, government rulings and material breakthroughs that are making the flexible film packaging industry grow while remaining the ideal product for many consumer packaging and industry uses. These are all issues that will be examined at SPI’s upcoming 2014 Flexible Film and Bag Conference, a three-day conference centered around the theme of Gauging the Future: Critical Insights for Growth.

At the conference, which will be held May 19-21, 2014 in St. Pete Beach, Florida, SPI is gathering flexible packaging experts to examine recent developments and highlight solutions. Four common keys to the sustainability of flexible packaging are reduce, reuse, recycle and convert waste to energy – all items that will be explored by SPI’s team of experts.

Speakers at the conference include industry experts such as: Nick Vafiadis, senior director at IHS Chemical, Dennis Calamusa of AlliedFlex Technologies; Ira Shaughnessy, the sustainability manager from the Dow Chemical Company; and Ira Blumenthal, highlighting the immense change in the business world and the necessity to adapt to that change.

Evolution and change in the business world is nothing new, but for companies to survive, they must adapt, adjust and master change. This is a topic keynote speaker Ira Blumenthal will highlight during his presentation.

Blumenthal is a professional speaker as well as the president of CO-OPPORTUNITIES, Inc., an Atlanta-based consulting company that has counseled world class clients such as Coca-Cola, Nestle, Kroger, McDonald's, Harrah's, American Airlines, Disney, United Artists, Marriott, Exxon, Wal*Mart and others in areas related to branding, strategic alliances, marketing, change management, re-invention and success.

Blumenthal’s keynote presentation on Tuesday, May 20 will be followed by presentations on consumer trends and opportunities for flexible packaging, flexible film machinery, sustainability and recycling.

Dennis Calamusa, the president and CEO of AlliedFlex Technologies, Inc. will lead a discussion on consumer trends and opportunities for flexible packaging. He will cover points including:

A dramatically changing packaging landscape in North America and around the globe – new innovative packaging is re-inventing how popular culture perceives and utilizes new packaging formats.
Retail packaging is at the forefront of change and is dramatically influencing the products we purchase for ourselves and our families. The momentum of packaging change is dramatic and unstoppable due to growing economic and environmental challenges, changing demographics, as well as the need to satisfy a growing myriad of new and evolving market outlets.
For the processor and packager, this growing trend can be harnessed as an important strategic marketing tool to address consumer convenience, changing lifestyles and as means to stimulate flat brands and declining profits.

Kim Holmes, SPI’s director of recycling & diversion, is focusing on the advantages flexible film offers from a life cycle perspective. Creating recovery opportunities for the material is an important part in completing the sustainability story. This session will explore the potential for mechanically recycling flexible packaging and the potential for using conversion technology to extract value in the form of fuel and chemicals.

For the golfers, the conference is kicking off Monday, May 19 with a round of golf at the famous Del Sol Yacht and Country Club, followed by a welcome reception at the Sunsets Pavilion. For more information about the conference and to register, visit www.plasticsindustry.org/FFBD2014

Dennis Calamusa, the president and CEO of AlliedFlex Technologies, Inc. will lead a discussion on consumer trends and opportunities for flexible packaging. He will cover points including:

A dramatically changing packaging landscape in North America and around the globe – new innovative packaging is re-inventing how popular culture perceives and utilizes new packaging formats.
Retail packaging is at the forefront of change and is dramatically influencing the products we purchase for ourselves and our families. The momentum of packaging change is dramatic and unstoppable due to growing economic and environmental challenges, changing demographics, as well as the need to satisfy a growing myriad of new and evolving market outlets.
For the processor and packager, this growing trend can be harnessed as an important strategic marketing tool to address consumer convenience, changing lifestyles and as means to stimulate flat brands and declining profits.