Inteplast seeks additional sustainability feedback

Inteplast Engineered Films (IEF) and Inteplast BOPP Films, makers of packaging films based in Livingston, New Jersey, says it will have staff members at a March business conference in order to “dive deeper into the fluid and frequently shifting landscape of sustainable packaging.”

The packaging materials firm, known collectively as Inteplast Group, says it will have a presence at the Flexible Packaging Association’s 2024 annual meeting in Tucson, Arizona, this March 20-22.

“We’re very excited about joining the FPA,” says IEF President Bob Stein. “As a guest at the fall 2023 meeting, I found the association’s agenda to be very relevant to IEF and our focus on developing, producing and selling our sustainable films, which are branded under our InteGreen label.

Continues Stein, “I see joining the FPA as yet another opportunity to get closer to our customer needs, understand and stay ahead of any changing or expected legislation and to work closer with all of our partners as we navigate this very dynamic time as a supplier into the flexible packaging industry.”

Inteplast Group says its sustainable packaging options encompass ready-to-recycle packaging materials and the use of postconsumer resin (PCR) materials. The company says it is attempting to play a central role in the packaging industry’s pursuit of circular economic stability.

The firm says Inteplast BOPP Films is in the process of commercializing a biaxially-oriented polyethylene (BOPE) film it claims “offers a fully recyclable mono-material packaging solution.”

Inteplast BOPP’s manufacturing facilities also have attained International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus status, adding to the world’s portfolio of ISCC Plus certified films. The certifications, says the company, will support chemical recycling initiatives.

Paul Marquard, general manager and vice president of Inteplast BOPP Films, said film manufacturers must understand how regulations will influence the specifications for sustainable packaging content, its end-of-life solutions and the varying standards for discarded materials.

“The flexible packaging industry is encountering several challenges across the supply chain specifically targeted at sustainability,” says Marquard. “However, this presents significant opportunities to embrace emerging market trends and devise necessary solutions. We view the Flexible Packaging Association, along with its members, as the ideal platform to tackle these challenges,” Marquard said.

IEF Marketing Manager Justin Schaefer says any plastic film engineer, sales professional, or manufacturer of sustainable packaging must be a perpetual student.

“The sustainable packaging landscape is rapidly evolving,” he comments. “Brand owners and consumers have increasingly called for change, and Inteplast is proud to be an industry-leader in the sustainable flexible packaging shift. All packaging professionals need to get on board because this train isn’t slowing down anytime soon.”

Inteplast Group says it has 7,000 employees operating from more than 50 facilities, including what it calls its flagship manufacturing complex in Lolita, Texas.

More information about the Flexible Packaging Association’s 2024 annual meeting can be found on the organization's website.