Demand in North America’s converted flexible packaging market has been underpinned by recovering economies and flexible packaging formats being used as alternatives to traditional rigid packaging.

A new report from PCI Films Consulting forecasts that flexible packaging demand in the Middle East and Africa will grow by around 5% p.a. over the next five years as confidence in the region’s growing economy encourages inward investment and greater emphasis on mass food processing.

The company is investing €45.6 Mio as part of its 2013 and 2014 expansion plans, which include facilities in Cotia, Brazil; Suzhou, China; Newport/Crumlin, Great Britain; and Santo Tirso, Portugal.

Following two years of steady decline in the European price of 12 micron bi-oriented polyester (BOPET) film, it would appear that the trend has finally stabilized.

Avery Dennison Corporation has added four new facestocks with a Bleached Glassine (BG) liner to its Prime Film Portfolio of BOPP films.

Product protection is a must for food and beverage packages, and companies are working hard to make sure that their products are safe and protected for the end-user. Tamper evident bands, sleeves and seals are designed to prevent the improper opening of a product, which could cause damage to the product and brand reputation.

Klöckner Pentaplast’s line of SmartCycle post-consumer recycled content polyester films produced in North America has been granted a “Certificate of Verification” by NSF International, an independent, third party, not-for-profit organization. The certificate verifies the recycled content claims of kp’s line of SmartCycle polyester films produced in North America and allows customers who use these films to be confident that the PCR-content claim is true and valid.

WS Packaging Group, Inc. has acquired Label World, a full-service printer located in Rochester, N.Y., specializing in labels and flexible packaging printing.