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There’s no question that Amcor’s merger with Berry Global in April was one of the biggest events of 2025 when it comes to flexible packaging. Among other things, the merger removed Berry Global from Packaging Strategies’ list of the Top 25 Flexible Packaging Converters (Berry Global held the No. 4 spot in our last reckoning).
In its earnings announcement for fiscal year 2025 (ended June 30), Amcor noted that the acquisition of Berry Global created a unique opportunity for the company to review its newly combined portfolio.
“Through this review, the company has identified its $20 billion core portfolio of consumer packaging and dispensing solutions for nutrition and health. This core portfolio is made up of leading positions in large, resilient, and growing health, beauty and wellness, nutrition and specialty end markets, where Amcor has global supply chain flexibility, an expanded multi-format product offering of innovative, high value solutions and significant room to grow,” Amcor said.
More recently, Amcor cited the combination with Berry Global as helping the company to achieve its sustainability goals.
“This year marks a turning point for Amcor,” said Amcor CEO Peter Konieczny. “With industry-leading innovation, global scale and deep packaging expertise, the new Amcor is uniquely positioned to deliver breakthrough solutions and advance a circular packaging future.”
This brings us to the two pillars characterizing the flexible packaging industry: consolidation and sustainability.
Mergers & Acquisitions
While the Amcor/Berry combination grabbed a lot of attention, 2025 saw other mergers and acquisitions that reshaped the flexible packaging landscape:
Toppan’s Acquisition of Sonoco’s TFP Business: TOPPAN Holdings Inc. announced in April that it had completed the acquisition of the Thermoformed & Flexibles Packaging business (TFP) of Sonoco Products Company. While this development could serve as a valid argument for removing Sonoco from the Top 25 list, we kept Sonoco on the list this year since the ranking is based largely upon companies’ performance in 2024.
Five Star Holding and Anduro Manufacturing: Five Star Holding announced in January that it had acquired Anduro Manufacturing, a leading supplier of flexible packaging, including laminated woven sacks for pet food, animal nutrition, and other consumer products in the United States and Latin America.
ProAmpac and International Paper: In October, ProAmpac announced that it had acquired the bag converting operations of International Paper, a global leader in sustainable packaging. The acquisition expands ProAmpac’s converting capabilities, further advancing the company’s Fiberization of Packaging® strategy and enhancing its ability to deliver customized bag solutions for the grocery, convenience store, and quick-service restaurant markets.
Cascades Inc. and Five Star Holding: Also in October, Cascades Inc. announced that it had reached an agreement to sell its Flexible Packaging plant activities to Five Star Holding, based in Houston, Texas. Located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Flexible Packaging was Cascades’ only plant manufacturing printed flexible plastic packaging and films.
ProAmpac and PAC Worldwide: ProAmpac and PAC Worldwide announced in August the signing of a definitive agreement under which ProAmpac would acquire PAC Worldwide, which specializes in producing protective mailers and specialty packaging for ecommerce, courier, and retail applications, with product offerings spanning polyethylene, paper, and bubble-lined packaging.
Sustainable Solutions
The move toward sustainability is the other pillar defining flexible packaging, and we present here just a few examples of recent initiatives on the part of converters in our Top 25 list to provide more sustainable packaging.
