Submissions are now open for the second annual Steve Fairfield Memorial Award for Flexible Packaging Innovation. The award, sponsored by Skjodt-Barrett Foods, annually honors a top innovator in flexible packaging. BNP Media will present the award at its 2026 Global Pouch Forum event, taking place May 27-29, 2026, in Clearwater Beach, FL. Meet the inaugural 2025 Steve Fairfield Memorial Award winner, Steve Gosling.

In addition to presenting an overview of the winning innovation at the 2026 Global Pouch Forum, the 2026 award recipient will be the focus of a feature article in the August 2026 issue of Packaging Strategies, and possibly in an associated sister BNP Media publication, including Beverage Industry, Dairy Foods, The National Provisioner, or Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, where applicable.

Flexible packaging is an innovation leader across the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. Flexible packaging formats have the ability to provide significant cost savings related to warehousing and distribution. Advancements in flexible packaging design also permit strong branding opportunities. Convenience is also a key supporting benefit of flexible packaging, with a wide variety of packaging customizations allowing for seamless end-user interactions. Each of these areas of the industry is a hot spot for innovation across flexible packaging today.

However, these days, sustainability is one of the top reasons why CPG brand owners adopt flexible packaging for their product lines. Sustainability—including the ability to commercially compost and/or recycle the package—is a primary focus for flexible packaging innovation across the supply chain today. Recent developments have aligned flexible packaging as a go-to option for CPG companies seeking to align their packaging choices with the sustainability requirements established by extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs in various U.S. states and overseas. EPR legislation, which imposes fees based on the end-of-life plan for all CPG packaging, continues to expand across the global industry as the next step in building a truly circular economy (for more on EPR legislation, see the Extended Producer Responsibility page on the Packaging Strategies website).

Flexible packaging has served snack, bakery, and candy producers for well over a century. Bread products, comprising loaf breads, buns, and rolls, is the largest category in baking, currently valued at $20.8 billion at retail (according to Chicago-based Circana, as reported in our 2025 State of the Industry feature on bread).

After the advent of the modern baking industry in the early 1900s, waxed paper was the go-to packaging for bread, a choice that endured for decades. Then in the late 1950s, a plastic alternative began to roll out, gaining widespread adoption in the 1960s and continuing today.

Potato chips, a category valued at $11.8 billion today, per Circana (and noted in our State of the Industry coverage of the category), followed a similar path, with waxed paper packaging supplanted by laminated, barrier plastic films as those technologies advanced in the 1950s.

One of the biggest developments within flexible plastic packaging is the introduction of materials that feature key sustainability improvements, such as use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) material in the substrate. Bimbo Bakeries USA received Top Honors recognition in the 2025 IBIE BEST in Baking Awards for its 30% PCR resin Bread Bags used for its Arnold Organic 22 Whole Grains & Seeds bread product. These packaging material advancements, including use of bio-based materials, will continue as sustainability rises to the forefront of product development considerations in the wake of increasing EPR legislation.

The introduction of flexible, pouch packaging for use in snack, bakery, and candy products has been more recent, with multiple product categories adopting the option. Categories that have begun using pouch packaging, often with convenient features like a resealable closure, include cookies, crackers, nuts, and trail mixes, as well as a wide variety of candy and confections.

While Tate’s Bake Shop employs several different types of product packaging, its use of flexible, stand-up, resealable pouches has increased in recent years. One recent example of the format is its seasonal holiday Cookie Bark, sold in 5-oz. pouches.

Producers of new snack-oriented product formats often select flexible, resealable, stand-up pouches as their preferred packaging format. In the absence of a legacy packaging format that might be more familiar to shoppers, such as bag-in-box or film-wrapped trays, these products can enter the market from the start in pouch packaging, aligning with consumer preference for resealable closures. “Protein ball” and “protein bite” product formats have grown in popularity over the past few years, aligning well with portion-controlled, healthy snacking. One recent product introduction in this area is the Day Out Snacks Protein Balls, available in a variety of flavors and sold in pouch packaging.

All innovations related to flexible packaging, for food and/or non-food products, are eligible for the Steve Fairfield Memorial Award for Flexible Packaging Innovation. Submissions by flexible packaging converters, suppliers, and CPG brand owners are welcome. To qualify for consideration, nominations must meet the following criteria:

• Must include new packaging materials and/or features that advance the industry (released for commercial application between 1/1/2025 and 12/31/2025)
• Must include a meaningful level of innovation, such as expanding the use of flexible packaging, improving sustainability, extending shelf life, improving end-user functionality or convenience, and/or improving operational efficiency
• Only flexible packaging formats, including pouches, bags, film, pillow packs, sachets, etc., will be considered
• Recipient must be able to attend the 2026 Global Pouch Forum to present on the innovation
• Recipient must be willing to participate in an interview for a feature article on the innovation in August 2026 issue of Packaging Strategies, as well as possibly an associated sister BNP Media publication, including Beverage Industry, Dairy Foods, The National Provisioner, or Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, where applicable

Nominations for the 2026 Steve Fairfield Memorial Award for Flexible Packaging Innovation will remain open through 1/31/26.

To nominate an innovation for the 2026 Steve Fairfield Memorial Award for Flexible Packaging Innovation, visit the submission page on the Packaging Strategies website.

For more information about Global Pouch Forum and to register for the event, visit www.packagingstrategies.com/global-pouch-forum.

Related: Meet the Inaugural Steve Fairfield Memorial Award Winner: Steve Gosling