YEARNING FOR GROWTH Forecast Calls for Strong Year BY JOEL BERG I f there is one safe bet about the year ahead, it's that 2021 will be nothing like 2020. Perhaps most importantly, the global economy is likely to grow rather than shrink as it did in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. And a vaccine for the virus is likely to become widely available by the second half of the year, experts suggest. Nonetheless, the massive disruption of the last 12 months will leave a mark on the next 12. Economic growth will be uneven and consumer habits forged in the crucible of COVID-19 will persist, according to panelists speaking at the Flexible Packaging Association's 2020 Virtual Fall Executive Conference. The flexible packaging industry kept operating through the pandemic as a supplier to businesses delivering food, medicine, and other essentials. But the industry adapted to dramatic swings in consumer habits as lockdown orders kept many people working-and eating-at home. Ecommerce soared as a result. Other trends evident before the pandemic will continue to play out as well, such as the rise in 18 F l e x P a c k V O I C E TM FlexPackVOICE.comhttp://www.FlexPackVOICE.com