The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), has published its 2025 State of the U.S. Flexible Packaging Industry Report. The annual report provides converters, suppliers, investors, and analysts with a view of industry performance over the past year.
According to FPA’s analysis, the U.S. flexible packaging industry reached $42.6 billion in annual sales in 2024, up from $41.4 billion in 2023—a 2.9 percent growth rate.
Report Results
• Flexible packaging accounts for roughly 20 percent of the total U.S. packaging market, making it the second-largest packaging segment behind corrugated.
• FPA members project 4.8 percent industry growth in 2025, bringing the market to an estimated $44.6 billion.
• Films, paper, and resins remain the largest converter input costs, representing nearly 75 percent of material purchases.
• Flexography continues to dominate printing technologies, representing 76 percent of shipments, followed by unprinted (12 percent), gravure (11 percent), and digital (one percent).
• Food remains the largest end-use market, generating $19 billion in annual revenue—about 45 percent of the total market.
• The industry recorded 34 domestic M&A transactions in 2024, up from 31 in 2023.
• The U.S. flexible packaging trade deficit grew to $2.6 billion, with $3.9 billion in exports and $6.5 billion in imports, a 24 percent increase from 2023.
• Converter members again identified the labor pool as their top challenge, while suppliers cited growth and new materials.
