Growing. The word is still an apt descriptor for flexible packaging, though according to the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), converters turned in their lowest growth rate in five years in 1997—3.2 percent for a total shipment value of $17.5 billion. Some of the market forces shaping this steady, yet slightjy diminished growth were increased direct material costs that pushed down profits, and lower paper bag and aluminum foil product shipments.
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