Tariffs 101: How Trump-Era Trade Policies Reshaped Flexible Packaging
Published on September 28, 2025
September 28, 2025
Tariffs 101: How Trump-Era Trade Policies Reshaped Flexible Packaging
If rising material costs and fragile supply chains weren’t enough, converters are now dealing with another layer of complexity: tariffs.
Reintroduced and expanded under Trump-era trade policies, tariffs have fundamentally reshaped how flexible packaging companies source, price, and deliver products. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Originally set at 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum, these tariffs were expanded in 2025 to include derivative products — meaning everything from machinery to aerosol cans can be hit with duties of up to 50%.
A broad “reciprocal tariff plan” added country-specific duties, with plastics especially hard hit. For example:
- China: up to 55% total tariff burden
- India: about 50% tariff liability
Over 1,300 plastic products are covered, with very few exclusions granted. This means higher costs on critical plastic resins and components that converters rely on.
The stated goal was to protect U.S. industry. But the reality for flexible packaging? Higher costs, reduced stability, and increased compliance burdens.
👉 In our next post, we’ll go deeper into the ripple effects of these tariffs — and how they cascade through the entire supply chain.
