Flexible packaging is truly “flexible” and can come in all different shapes, designs and sizes which is helping brands stand out from the crowd and solidify their unique brand identity with every product they sell.
The creativity aspect of flexible packaging has certainly contributed to its recent growth and popularity. However, this isn’t the only reason that many companies are turning to flexible packaging for everything from their shipping needs to their food and beverage containers.
Flexible Packaging Requires Less Material
Overall, flexible packaging requires less material overall. This makes it much more environmentally-friendly than durable materials like PET and glass. For example, if you have 100 pounds of liquid to package, you would only need 2 ½ pounds of flexible packaging to contain it. You would need 84 pounds of glass to pack the same volume.
Less material and lighter packaging doesn’t only create less waste, but it is easier and more economical to transport as well.
Flexible Packaging Uses Fewer Resources
Studies have shown that lightweight flexible packaging solutions actually require fewer resources to produce. Overall making these lightweight packages requires less water and fewer fossil fuels. For example, a classic steel can used to package coffee requires 1,605% more water than a flexible, stand up pouch.
It’s an easy switch to make that can ultimately save our planet a number of valuable resources.
It Creates Less Waste
Flexible packaging, in general, has a higher product-to-package ratio than traditional packaging solutions. This means flexible packaging requires less overall product and less overall waste. Plus, with the right company helping you to create a flexible packaging solution you can truly customize a product to fit your exact item and nothing more.
Examples of Sustainable Flexible Packaging That Are Changing the Industry
With flexible packaging, the sky is truly the limit when it comes to the different types and styles of packaging solutions you can create. However, there are many products that are also making a shift to flexible packaging and seeing some great sustainable benefits as they do.
Flexible Cat Litter Packaging
Cat litter is a big gun in the pet supply industry, as all cat owners need a great cat litter. Studies have found that they can make a more sustainable solution as opposed to boxes and rigid plastic buckets by using a flexible, stand-up bag with a paperboard barrier carton to store cat litter.
Flexible Laundry Detergent Pod Storage
Single-use laundry detergent pods are now the most popular method of delivering perfectly portioned laundry detergent. However, what you put those pods in has always been a challenge in the packaging industry. Recent studies that looked at flexible stand-up pouches with a zipper and rigid PET container found this was a much more sustainable way of storing laundry pods.
Coffee
As we discussed earlier, coffee is a product that is making a major transition into the flexible packaging sphere. Stand-up flexible-pouches are hailed for their sustainability and the lower environmental impacts they have compared to older, traditional forms of coffee storage.
Motor Oil
While most wouldn’t think of motor oil as a candidate for flexible packaging solutions, there are many brands that are using flexible, stand-up pouches with fitments to store this oil. This is replacing rigid HDPE bottles that used to be the standard. Research into the flexible pouching solution found that the flexible pouches were a more environmentally-friendly alternative.
Baby Food
Many parents have noticed the recent trend of flexible packages being used to store baby food. This is a stark contrast to the glass jars that were once the standard in the industry. However, stand-up pouches have proven to be a more economical and sustainable way to store baby food, keep perishable foods fresh and to maximize the product-to-packaging ratio.
These are just a few of the many examples of flexible packaging being used today. And there are even more companies who are looking to be more environmentally-friendly that are adopting this way of packaging their products.
If you have questions about what flexible packaging can do for your company, or to see how you can bring your ideas to life, contact SigmaQ. We can help you create flexible packaging solutions that will not only work for your brand but work for the environment as well.
SigmaQ: The Right Choice
As you start to dream up the perfect packaging product for your needs, make sure that you have the right company behind you to bring these “musts” and your unique vision to life. Here at SigmaQ, it is our passion to help you create packaging products that you can feel good about and that can truly represent your unique brand.
