Flexible pouches aren’t new – they
have been used for products such as beef jerky and dog food for decades.
However, design and material advancements have led to an evolution of the
product in recent years, creating a packaging option with a variety of uses, that
can be molded and printed to meet marketing needs. Flexible plastic pouches
have a number of inherent advantages over other packaging methods, such as:
·
Durability:
Plastic flexible pouches don’t crack when frozen, don’t break when dropped, and
can be twisted, bent, and contorted – and will still be a viable container.
These also help them to be more resistant to contamination, and the inclusion
of UV-resistant factors can prevent deterioration by light exposure.
·
Reusability:
With easy-to-seal tops that help maintain freshness, the pouches can be
refilled and reused as needed. It is an added value to the customer, and
reduces landfill waste at the same time.
·
Efficiency:
Flexible plastic packaging requires limited resources to make the packaging. As
highlighted in this
article, a pound of peanuts requires ten times more material when contained
in glass versus a flexible plastic pouch.
·
Environmental
Responsibility: Flexible plastic pouches require less energy to create – and
because of their flexibility and light weight structure, Fres-co
estimates that flexible pouches create 50% less volume in landfills, while
requiring 88% less fossil fuel to produce.
·
Easy and
Cheap to Ship: One truckload of flexible packaging can hold enough packages
to contain what you would need 26 truckloads of glass packaging – which is 25
less truckloads, and 25 less tanks of fuel, needed to ship. When full, more
flexible pouches can be fit into a truck’s weight limit, again reducing the
numbers of truckloads needed and again saving fuel.
Easier to ship, safer to use, environmentally- and
budget-friendly, the flexible plastic pouch looks to be the responsible
packaging choice into the future. Here at Stamar, we like to stay on the
cutting edge of the latest packaging technology, and we are interested to see
how flexible plastic pouches evolve over the next few years. Contact us to see
what we can do for your packaging needs to see what trends we can work into
your packaging solution!
