Dan Felton, president & CEO of the Flexible Packaging Assn. (FPA), (above) testified today before the US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) Subcommittee on Environment during a hearing about recycling innovation and economic growth. The subcommittee focuses on the regulation of solid, hazardous, and nuclear wastes, including mining, nuclear, oil, gas, and coal combustion waste.
· FPA Written Testimony for the Hearing
After introducing FPA, the leading advocate and voice for the growing US flexible-packaging industry, Felton gave an overview of what flexible packaging is, cited several industries and products using flexible packaging, and highlighted the value of flexible packaging.
“Flexible packaging is one of the most sustainable packaging types, as it reduces water and energy consumption, improves product-to-package ratio, enhances transportation efficiency, minimizes food waste, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” says Felton.
Felton then spoke about recycling and proposed to the subcommittee several public policy issues on which FPA is focused to increase flexible-packaging recycling through innovation and economic growth, and that could benefit from federal government support. This includes the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act (RIAA) and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act (RCCA) currently under consideration in Congress; advanced recycling technologies; the use of recycled content in flexible packaging; and support for a federal law for the labeling of packaging for compostability, recyclability, and reusability.
“FPA is deeply committed to solving packaging-waste issues and increasing the recyclability and recycling of flexible packaging,” Felton testified. “We are collaborating with manufacturers, brand owners, recyclers, retailers, waste management companies, and other organizations to continue making strides toward total packaging recovery.”