Shrink sleeves for food and beverage packaging

Consumers are consistently looking for new and different products to purchase. To meet this desire, companies are constantly trying to find new ways to differentiate their products from their competitors. Shrink sleeves are a perfect means of doing so. They represent an exciting new trend in the world of packaging and a growing opportunity for converters.

According to a recent Smithers Pira (2014), global sleeve label consumption to reach market value of $5.8 billion by 2019. Global consumption of stretch and shrink sleeve labels is forecast to grow at a calculated annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.6% in the 2014-2019 period.

A shrink sleeve is a new type of label that is printed in rolls of plastic film. Gravure is often utilized to print sleeves, especially if the shrink sleeve necessitates the highest quality graphics and/or very long runs. Flexo and offset printing are also used for shorter runs. Unlike labels, sleeves allow decorations and printing to cover the whole container. Shrink sleeves adhere to a container through the application of heat: hot air, steam, and infrared light.

Behind the glamour of finished shrink label is its material. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the most cost effective shrink material and the easiest to control in the shrink process. Its high shrinkability and low cost make it an attractive option. However, other substrates with comparable or more attractive properties are emerging such us PET and oriented polystyrene (OPS).

Shrink sleeves provide many aesthetic and functional labeling and packaging advantages. Shrink sleeves provide high quality, 360 degree head-to-toe graphics on a series of complex packaging shapes and container geometries. The result maximizes on-shelf impact and appeal and contributes to differentiation in the marketplace. Shrink sleeves also offer tamper-evident capabilities by protecting lids and tops. Since the imprint of shrink sleeves is printed on the back of the label, shrink sleeves also protect against scratching and scuffing which often occur during product shipments. Shrink sleeves can also reduce inventory by eliminating the need to stock printed containers, and add shelf-life to the product through UV protection. Shrink Sleeves are easily removed in the recycling process resulting in less environmental impact.

This post was originally published at PackAdvisors

Stand-Up Pouches for Food and Beverage Packaging

Consumers’ nomadic life-styles and the growing number of single and senior households favor a trend toward single and small-portion packs. Flexible packaging, especially stand-up pouches constitute the ideal solution.

Stand-up pouches are becoming well established in flexible packaging market. According to a new report from PCI Films Consulting, the U.S. stand-up pouch market has seen dramatic growth over the past five years, increasing by 50 per cent in unit volume terms to approaching 17 billion units in 2013 – and will continue to grow by around seven per cent per annum to reach nearly 24 billion units in 2018, at least twice as fast as volume growth expected in the U.S. flexible packaging market as a whole, according to a new report.

Beverages and pet food are the largest end use categories, the report – by PCI Film Consulting – said, with each accounting for one-third of demand, closely followed by human food applications with around 30 per cent share. According to the report, future increases in volume are expected to come from a wide variety of end uses: frozen foods and fruit compotes, frozen spirits, cocktails, baby food, shredded and diced cheese, laundry and dishwashing refill packs and soups. “Other opportunities are only in the early stages of development but pouches used to pack motor oils, dietary meal solutions and possibly olive oil and fresh vegetables are forecast to grow in volume,” the report said.

The trend toward stand-up pouches packaging has been mainly driven by companies looking for ways to increase shelf appeal and differentiate their products from the competition and add consumer convenience. Stand-up pouches can be used as an additional marketing tool for brand owners looking to boost sales.

From an environmental point of view, pouches are more sustainable than traditional packaging formats (cans, boxes or rigid plastic container). They utilize much less material, improve the product to package ratio and eliminate over packaging and waste. Depending upon the application, pouches can weigh up to 95% less than rigid containers and take up less than 10% of the space typically used by rigid containers. In addition, pouches require much less landfill space than other containers.

In conclusion, stand-up pouches provide form, function and convenience. They are an innovative marketing approach to stimulate the sales of a stagnant brand or increase the acceptance and success of a new product introduction.

This post was originally published at PackAdvisors

ConAgra’s new tray exceeds in two areas

ConAgra Foods, in partnership with Graphic Packaging Intl., has launched a new premium frozen-food tray incorporating two innovative technologies; DesignerWare, a paperboard/plastic hybrid, and MicroRite, which provides shielding and even-heating benefits to frozen meals heated in the microwave.

This combination of technologies provides breakthrough sustainable packaging with unsurpassed microwave cooking performance.

DesignerWare is a paperboard/plastic hybrid which incorporates many of the features of both. The paperboard body of the tray replaces up to 55 percent of the non-renewable plastic with renewable paperboard. The tray can be printed with up to six-color offset graphics, eliminating the need for a secondary carton in many applications, a further source reduction. The injection-molded frame provides additional stiffness, impact resistance and the possibility for a high-barrier package for chilled and non-food applications.

MicroRite technology provides shielding and even-heating benefits to frozen meals; managing the available microwave energy reducing cook time, dehydration, over cooked edges and cool centers.

The combination of DesignerWare and MicroRite in this single package provides ConAgra with a unique and innovative package unmatched in the frozen food aisle.

"We are continually innovating in the microwave area in response to consumer and customer insights," says Jeff Voyzey, business development manager for Graphic Packaging. "We are proud of the unsurpassed cooking performance of MicroRite and the reduction of non-renewable petroleum based plastics provided by our DesignerWare trays."

Source: Graphic Packaging

Cool new packaging helps consumers with common frustrations

We’ve all been there—fighting to get a package open. Or trying to get the last drop out of a bottle. When you consider that manufacturers spend more than $150 billion a year on packaging, you might wonder why more products aren’t user-friendly. Consumer Reports has some good news! Here is some innovative packaging that’s solved some problems. (Source)

 

Convenience Food Packaging Changed Our Lives

Recloseable packaging and microwaveable plastic trays were named top packaging breakthroughs that most impacted peoples’ lives over the last 25 years in an on-line survey hosted by DuPont. Together the two categories of invention captured 48 percent of the votes. The online survey was available to industry professionals from April 9 through May 10, 2013.

Reclosable packaging, which includes food-storage zipper locks and stand-up pouches, earned 27 percent of the votes. Microwaveable meals, enabled by “oven-able” packaging materials, captured 21 percent of the votes. Recycled content in consumer, industrial and community programs that support social goals earned 18 percent of the votes.

“Over the 25 years, the DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation has attracted a wide variety of truly innovative packaging developments, making this anniversary event the perfect time to honor those past achievements,” said Shanna Moore, leader/of the DuPont Packaging Awards program. “In reflecting back on these breakthroughs, it’s hard to imagine what everyday life would be like today without them.”

DuPont created the voting project after reviewing hundreds of past winners and identifying six breakthrough groups that impacted our lives. Descriptions of those breakthroughs – which range from packaging that has enabled our current “on-the-go” lifestyle to centralized processing and packaging of meat that reduced waste and kept meat fresh longer – can be found on line here.

DuPont announced the breakthroughs that most transformed our lives during the company’s celebration of the winners of the 25th DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation in Wilmington, Del. Nearly 300 people voted on the breakthrough choices.

Read more…

Packaging gotchas: Mad at hard-to-open, shrinking, undersized, or overwrapped products?

You’d think that companies would get it right. They spend $130 billion a year on boxes, bags, and blister packs. You spend on packaging, too. According to Joe Angel, vice president and publisher of the trade publication Packaging World, packaging accounts for roughly 7 percent of a product’s overall cost, and some of that gets passed along to consumers.

Yet illogical, misleading, and over-the-top packaging continues to annoy consumers, and we have the letters, e-mail, and photos to prove it. The annoyances come in four basic types. 

1. Oysters, our term for hard-to-open products. Often, they’re gadgets imprisoned in clear, tight-fitting plastic. That displays merchandise from all angles and discourages theft. But it also foils honest folks, who have tried razor blades, scissors, box cutters, and saws to free the contents they’ve bought. Other oysters: cereals in stiff bags that split and spew their contents when you pry them open and pills in blister packs that give you a headache even as you’re trying to treat your ulcer.
2. Black holes, or products surrounded by lots of air. Federal law is supposed to prevent excessive “slack fill,” nonfunctional or empty space. But there are loopholes in the law if, for instance, the space limits breakage or discourages theft, or if the package does double-duty as a dispenser. One company we were about to criticize actually changed its packaging after buyers complained. Archway modified the tray design for its Original Windmill Cookies “to accommodate a more tightly packaged product,” a spokesman told us.
3. Downsized products, shrunken by companies unwilling just to raise the price. Downsizing can occur in sneaky ways, as when Huggies reduced the number of Pull­Ups diapers from 72 to 70 but kept the words “New Larger” on the label. Companies usually blame downsizing on higher costs of ingredients, labor, and energy.
4. Golden cocoons, tiny doodads shipped in giant cartons, sometimes with enough paper, bubble wrap, or airbags (called “void fill” in the packaging industry) to cradle a priceless vase. At least some companies are aware of the problem. (Read “Frustration-Free Packaging May Be Baffling,” below.)

Here you'll find a showcase of our latest examples of packaging faux pas, submitted by Consumer Reports readers and Facebook fans. For each product, we asked a company rep to explain the packaging decision. Usually we received an answer, though not always to the question we asked.

Source

 

5 Creative Packaging Ideas to Delight Your Customers

Small companies may lack the marketing dollars and visibility of larger brands, but they can still stand out on the shelf by thinking outside the box—literally. Here are five packaging design tips to help you get the attention of customers and even delight them.

1.     Go for a handmade look. Customers are drawn to packaging that feels personalized—it's almost as if they're holding a handmade object.

2.     Take a sustainable approach. Consumers want to feel good about their purchases. Using sustainable material, such as organic, fair-trade or recyclable paper, will send an environmentally positive message about your brand.

3.     Use surprising materials and shapes.  A distinctively shaped package or one made of nontraditional materials can signal to consumers that your product is different from the competition.

4.     Add in functionality. Customers like packaging that's functional because of its added value

5.     Let your package tell your product's story. Some companies think of creative, playful ways to give customers a clue to what's inside the package.

Read more…

2012 Survey of Future Packaging Trends

Packaging World magazine partnered with DuPont to identify trends shaping the packaging industry today and in 10 years. Responses reflect the insights of nearly 500 industry professionals predominantly in Europe and North America working for consumer goods manufacturers and converters in marketing and packaging development roles. Food, healthcare and beverage markets ranked the highest, but nearly every industry that uses packaging was represented.

There was significant alignment in the views of respondents in Europe and North America and throughout the results, the top trends identified as driving today, are predicted to change in 10 years.  Trends in the second tier tend to maintain the same level of importance.

Key Findings:

Poised on the brink of change:

1. Sustainability concerns, ranked behind cost and food safety/security as today’s driving trends, will dominate packaging industry work in 10 years in both Europe and North America.
2. Cost, today’s top driver, drops in importance in 10 years.
3. Food safety/security remains a top factor driving packaging work.
4. Today’s emphasis on “right-sizing” gives way to strategies to use renewable materials, recyclable materials  and smart packaging in 10 years – a clear call for innovation and collaboration throughout the value chain.
5. Though rarely selected as a “top” trend, convenience factors are identified as very important today – and that  importance is expected to be maintained in 10 years.

Maximum value. Minimal Impact:

1. The packaging industry believes consumers will have increased value for recyclability and perceived
2. “greenness” of packaging in 10 years – at the same time, demand for proof of sustainability claims will grow  exponentially, for instance in the demand for life cycle analysis data.
3. Right-sizing packaging in terms of efficient package shape/size, downgauging of package material and minimizing package failures dominate both the North American and European packaging landscape today. 
4. Materials play a critical role in these objectives.
5. Plastics will continue to replace glass and metals and flexible packaging will continue to replace rigid structures.

Read full report

13 Emerging Flexible Packaging Markets

In a new study, PCI Films Consulting have identified 13 emerging flexible packaging markets comprising of Poland, Russia, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Nigeria and South Africa. Collectively these markets, valued at $14 billion, have grown by almost 70 percent since 2006 and now account for 20 percent of total world demand.

One of the key findings is that although a number of these emerging markets have been affected by the global economic downturn, they have weathered the crisis well, with demand growth averaging almost 11 percent per annum since 2006, led by countries including India, Indonesia, Brazil and Russia. In general, all emerging markets have illustrated strong growth over the past five years, with only three of the thirteen posting overall growth of less than 30 percent between 2006 and 2011.

The report identifies the major driving forces in flexible packaging demand within these emerging markets including strong GDP growth, high population growth, liberalization in a number of markets, continued urbanization and the development of mass retailing. In addition, changing consumer lifestyles and increasing disposable incomes have encouraged the development of new convenient packaged food and non-food products.

For further information click here

US demand for Pouches to Reach $8.8 billion in 2016

Demand for pouches in the US is projected to increase 5.1 percent per year to $8.8 billion in 2016, driven by faster gains for standup pouches stemming from sustainability, functional, and marketing advantages over alternative packaging media. Unit demand is expected to expand 3.0 percent yearly to 90 billion.

Burgeoning consumer acceptance of pouches as an alternative to rigid containers will buoy demand, as will such advantages as superior aesthetic appeal, portability, light weight, reduced material use, and significantly lower shipping costs than rigid containers.  In addition, heightened use of reclosing and dispensing components will increase the competitiveness of pouches against rigid containers. These and other trends are presented in Pouches, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.  

Standup pouch demand is forecast to expand 7.2 percent annually to $2 billion in 2016. Advances will be well above those of the overall packaging industry, reflecting heightened interest among packaged goods companies resulting from savings achieved in shipping costs due to the benefits of lighter weight and lower material use compared to rigid containers. Also supporting gains will be attributes of product differentiation; aesthetics; the presence of convenience features (e.g., zippers, spouts); and the perception, especially among younger consumers, of pouches being a more contemporary packaging format than cans, bottles, and cartons.

Demand for flat pouches is forecast to increase 4.5 percent yearly to $6.8 billion in 2016, fueled by above average gains for four-side-seal pouches based on rising demand in medical and pharmaceutical markets and in food uses such as meat, poultry, and seafood; and cheese.  Advances will also be aided by improved barrier structures and solid gains for pouches employing self-venting films to enable steam cooking of contents in the package.  Additionally, robust growth is expected for stick packs (small tube-shaped flat pouches), based on differentiation and material savings over conventional single portion configurations.

LiquiGlide: A revolutionary super-slippery coating to liberate your ketchup!

A group of MIT researchers has developed a interior lining for bottles which allows the contents to simply glide out. The product is called Liqui-Glide.

LiquiGlide offers several benefits: It's more convenient for consumers, and it makes recycling easier because the bottles are clean. It also wastes less food, because people won't be tossing out bottles coated with mustard that they can't squeeze out. 

Stand-up Pouches: Maximum Flexibility, Sustainability and Convenience

Consumers’ nomadic life-styles and the growing number of single and senior households favor a trend toward single and small-portion packs. Flexible packaging, especially stand-up pouches constitute the ideal solution.

The trend toward stand-up pouches packaging has been mainly driven by companies looking for ways to increase shelf appeal and differentiate their products from the competition and add consumer convenience. Stand-up pouches can be used as an additional marketing tool for brand owners looking to boost sales.

From an environmental point of view, pouches are more sustainable than traditional packaging formats (cans, boxes or rigid plastic container). They utilize much less material, improve the product to package ratio and eliminate over packaging and waste. Depending upon the application, pouches can weigh up to 95% less than rigid containers and take up less than 10% of the space typically used by rigid containers. In addition, pouches require much less landfill space than other containers.

In conclusion, stand-up pouches provide form, function and convenience. They are an innovative marketing approach to stimulate the sales of a stagnant brand or increase the acceptance and success of a new product introduction.

I share with you this interesting article published today in Chicago Tribute, confirming the growth of pouch  in food and beverage packaging

Packaged food makers are thinking outside the bottle and can. More to the point, they're increasingly partial to pouches. The Chicago Tribute cited a study done by the Mintel Group which says in 2011 that overall pouch use in consumer products, including shampoo and pet food, has increased 37 percent since 2007.

Wal-Mart Joins Amazon in Less-Wasteful Packing to Cool ‘Wrap Rage’

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) are prodding more manufacturers to change their packaging to cut waste and alleviate “wrap rage,” the frustration felt when a product is difficult to open.

The nation’s largest online store and the world’s biggest retailer have been pushing vendors, including Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) and Bluetooth headset maker Plantronics Inc. (PLT), to eliminate excessive and cumbersome packing materials, such as hard plastic clamshell casings that enclose electronics and wire ties used to secure toys to cardboard backings.

Read more…

Dossier : Comment faire un emballage pratique et respectueux de l’environnement?

Un excellent dossier préparé par Preventpack

 

"Dossier : Comment faire des emballages convenient (pratique) respectueux du développement durable ?"

"Exemple Panasonic : Facilité d'utilisation : ni coûteuse, ni néfaste pour l'environnement"

"Exemple Tetra Pak : Un emballage plus facile d'utilisation pour les consommateurs ayant une moindre dextérité"

"Polyvalence des emballages : Au-delà des rôles classiques de l'emballage"

 

Cliquez ici pour consulter l’intégralité du dossier.

Paper versus Plastics in Packaging to 2014

According to a new study from The Freedonia Group, plastic will make further inroads into paper. Rigid packaging demand will slightly outpace flexible packaging based on above-average growth for tubs and cups, trays, clamshells and two-piece high visibility plastic containers

Plastic packaging to make further inroads into paper

In 17 selected markets where plastic and paper compete as packaging materials, plastic is expected to increase its share of the market to 49 percent (in pounds) in 2014 as it makes further inroads into paper applications. The percentage understates plastic’s share since less plastic is required than paper in most applications due to its lighter weight. In addition, plastic has greater ability for lightweighting than does paper. Plastic has made the greatest gains in primary packaging but remains much less significant than paper and paperboard in secondary packaging and shipping containers.

Plastic packaging growth to outpace paper packaging

Plastic packaging growth by volume is expected to outpace that of paper packaging through 2014 in nearly all competitive markets covered in this study and is forecast to expand 2.3 percent per year through 2014. Advances for plastic will be the result of its competitive cost and performance advantages, including light weight, moisture resistance, enhanced barrier properties and puncture resistance. Plastic has continued to expand its share in a number of markets despite the sharp spike in resin prices in recent years. More moderate resin pricing through 2014 and the development of new applications for biodegradable plastics should make plastic even more competitive against paper.

Though paper packaging will post more limited advances or continue to decline in the majority of markets through 2014, paper will log relatively favorable gains in a handful of markets and maintain a substantial lead over plastic. These markets include foodservice, protective packaging, and soy and other non dairy beverages. Opportunities in the foodservice and protective packaging markets will also reflect improved outlooks for consumer spending and manufacturing activity. Moreover, increased emphasis on packaging sustainability will enhance the competitiveness of paper in some applications based on environmental advantages including recyclability, renewability and biodegradability.

Rigid packaging to grow slightly faster than flexible

Rigid packaging demand in competitive markets will expand at a slightly faster pace than that of flexible packaging based on above-average growth for tubs and cups, trays and other plastic containers such as clamshells and two-piece high visibility plastic containers. Gains will also be helped by rebounds in demand for shipping drums and protective packaging following a depressed base in 2009.

Based on the widespread use of products such as folding and gabletop cartons, ovenable trays and paper-based protective packaging, paper will maintain its lead over plastic in rigid packaging through 2014. However, plastic will continue to gain ground in competitive rigid packaging.

Flexible packaging gains will be aided by above-average growth for protective packaging and pouches. Improved manufacturing output and Internet sales will bode well for products such as air pillows and bubble packaging, which provide cost-effective options in the protection of goods from shock, vibration, abrasion and other damaging effects of shipping and handling. Pouches will make further inroads into rigid packaging and other types of flexible packaging based on attributes of cost effectiveness, enhanced barrier properties, space savings, lighter weight, aesthetic appeal and source reduction capabilities.

Les emballages conjuguent écologie et praticité pour continuer à séduire

Pour des raisons économiques, environnementales et marketing, les industriels de l'emballage misent sur l'innovation écologique, sous la pression des consommateurs qui réclament moins d'emballages, sans toutefois vouloir renoncer à leurs avantages pratiques.

Qu'il s'agisse de carton, plastique ou métal, les fabricants d'emballages "ont placé les innovations en faveur du développement durable au centre de leur stratégie", selon le spécialiste Bertrand Perri, dans une étude du cabinet d'études économiques Xerfi.

D'ici 2014, le marché des emballages respectueux de l'environnement devrait doubler à 170 milliards de dollars, d'après une étude de Pike Research citée par Annette Freidinger, consultante pour le salon international de l'emballage, qui ouvre lundi à Villepinte, près de Paris.

Ce sont d'abord des obligations réglementaires qui ont poussé les acteurs de l'emballage, à l'image des géants Verallia, Impress, Gascogne ou Tetra Pak, à parier sur le développement durable.

Depuis 1998, les industriels doivent prendre en compte les exigences liées à l'environnement et la priorité donnée à la diminution des déchets a été renforcée par une directive européenne de 2004. Le Grenelle de l'Environnement a été plus loin, en fixant un objectif de taux de recyclage de 75% à 2012.

Fabricants et concepteurs se sont d'abord livrés à "une course à l'allégement", selon M. Perri.

Depuis 1998, les seuls acteurs du Conseil national de l'emballage (CNE) en France ont réduit de 75.000 tonnes le poids des emballages, tous matériaux confondus, soit le volume de 5.000 camions par an.

Par ce biais, le vert devient aussi une carte à jouer économique, en réduisant les besoins en matières premières. Atout non négligeable quand plastique, pâte à papier ou aluminium renchérissent.

Cette source d'économie est d'autant plus recherchée que, si 2010 s'annonce en légère reprise, le marché mondial de l'emballage, tributaire de la consommation, a souffert de la crise, baissant de 2,6% en 2009 à environ 415 milliards d'euros, selon Annette Freidinger.

En France, le chiffre d'affaires du secteur, qui rassemble 1.500 entreprises, a perdu environ 10% à 19 milliards, d'après le Comité de liaison des industries françaises de l'emballage (Clife).

Mais le seul allègement a ses limites, ce qui stimule la recherche d'innovations technologiques "éco-conçues", comme l'emploi de matériaux biosourcées ou recyclés.

"Il existe encore une marge de réduction de poids pour certains produits emballés, mais il serait erroné de croire que l'on puisse réaliser les mêmes réductions que celles réalisées ces dix dernières années", souligne Bruno Siri, délégué général du CNE, association créée en 1997 diffusant des bonnes pratiques de conception d'emballages.

Trop léger, l'emballage risque de perdre son intérêt: bouteille trop fine qui se broie quand on la prend en main, ou pot de yaourt s'écrasant dans le chariot du supermarché.

Outre l'obligation réglementaire et l'intérêt économique, le développement durable est devenu un atout marketing non négligeable pour séduire les consommateurs, qui sont 59% à considérer que la recyclabilité est une fonction à part entière de l'emballage, selon un sondage Ipsos réalisé pour le salon de l'emballage.

Mais "même si le consommateur réclame des emballages recyclables et recyclés, il ne souhaite pas revenir en arrière sur les fonctionnalités que l'emballage lui a données jusqu'à présent", comme l'ouverture facile ou les monodoses, relève Mme Freidinger.

Source

Paper-based Packaging: Sustainability and Functionality

I have just created a LinkedIn group entitled: PAPER-BASED PACKAGING, a group dedicated to all professionals within the Packaging and Pulp & Paper Industries.

  

Sustainability and food safety and are the driving forces behind innovation in food packaging. Increases in functionality, improvements in food safety, economics and meeting environmental and legislative measures are pushing packaging actors to “Think outside the box”. Paper-based packaging provides smart, versatile and responsible packaging solutions for product manufacturers, retailers, and consumers.
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A bright future may be anticipated for sustainable, high-performance barrier and smart paper-based packaging:

1. Innovative paper-based packaging offers environmental, convenience, food safety and preservation and economics benefits for both customers and packaging actors.
2. Coating and lamination: adds functionality to sustainable paper-based packaging.
3. Biodegradable, smart and active barrier : Developments of speciality paper and paperboard through innovation

Join the discussion to share and brainstorm latest news, trends and innovation in Paper-based packaging

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Stand-up pouch: A package that can stand and deliver

Stand-up pouches provide form, function and convenience. They are an innovative marketing approach to stimulate the sales of a stagnant brand or increase the acceptance and success of a new product introduction.

I share with you an interesting article of Sterling Anthony pulished in Packaging World Magazine.

The stand-up pouch (hereafter, the pouch) has lately become the darling of both brand owners and retailers alike. Applications include food & beverage, yard & garden, home improvement, fishing & gaming, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals—the list goes on. With so much going for it, the pouch deserves analysis, not just for its applications, but also for its examples about the power of packaging. Restated: what does the pouch stand for?

Standing for protection

The pouch can be constructed from a range of materials, in accordance with a product's protection requirements. From single-material constructions to those incorporating barrier plies (i.e. foil and metallized), pouches can protect against moisture, light, oxygen, aroma loss, odor pick-up, puncture, and abrasion.

As is always the case, protection should be pursued with an eye toward cost. Too much protection can waste money just as surely as too little. Start with thorough knowledge of the product itself. Once product knowledge is converted into protection requirements, it makes sense to consider whether those requirements can be fulfilled by stock pouches rather than pricier custom designs. Stock is available in various sizes and constructions. If custom is determined to be the way to go, be aware that protection is a function of materials and of gauge, and a balance between the two is the way to achieve optimal cost-efficiency.

Standing for communication

Regarding shelf impact, the bottom gusset that enables the pouch to stand gives it a leg up, so to speak, on non-freestanding flexible packaging. It also allows the pouch to compete against rigid packaging. Additionally beneficial is the geometry of the pouch: front and back panels make up the vast majority of the total area, providing twin billboards for carrying product communication and for conveying brand image.

Keep in mind that elements to be considered range beyond colors, depictions, and text. Shape is important, too. Instead of the conventionally-paneled pouch, the brand owner can choose a customized die-cut shape. It carries a cost premium, which should be weighed against the brand-building potential of such customization.

Should the brand owner order printed pouches or unprinted ones and afterwards apply labels? Printed is better at communicating a quality, upscale brand image. Moreover, the quantities at which printing becomes economically justified are modest and well within the reach of even small companies. As such, no company needlessly should forego the printed option, given its ability to add punch to communications.

As for printing method, there are two to speak of: flexography and rotogravure, requiring investments in plates and cylinders, respectively. Flexography (traditionally the cheaper) yields credible results but those from rotogravure are sharper. The decision comes down to considerations and trade-offs, based on desired shelf impact.

Unprinted areas can communicate, too, especially when there is an advantage to being able to view the product. In that circumstance, a clear pouch or one with a "window" can be the answer, provided the product is not subject to damage from exposure to light.

Regardless of printing method, take advantage of the time-saving opportunities made possible by the computer age. These days, artwork can be developed, sent, evaluated, and approved, digitally, using programs (Adobe, for example) in combination with conveyances as simple as an e-mail attachment.

Standing for convenience

Retailers prize the convenience of easy stocking that the pouch provides. Shelves can be stocked speedily, without the annoying slowdown of packages toppling or of having to position non-standing packages inside a display rack. Some products are meant to be displayed on peg racks, so consider designing the pouch with a peg hook or hole at the top.

As for the consumer, the convenience of uprightness carries over to the cabinet, refrigerator, counter, table, ground, work surface—wherever. Beyond the feature that gives the pouch its name are other conveniences. Ease-of-opening is one, in that the pouch can embody a notch at the top for tear-opening. For larger sizes, where contents won't be consumed in one use, there's the resealable zipper. And for even larger sizes, handles (either attached or die-cut) can be incorporated for ease-of-transport.

Standing for sustainability?

As for sustainability, the pouch has pluses and minuses. On the plus side is the pouch's lighter weight relative to rigid packages. That advantage is parlayed into savings in transportation costs most notably; and since the pouches are stored flat, warehousing space savings also accrue. Also citable are savings in fork-truck operating costs because more empty pouches can be handled per trip than with rigid packages.

On the minus side, the pouch is vulnerable to criticism for its use of plastic. Furthermore, a pouch that is a lamination can be decried for not being readily recyclable or reusable. Okay, no package is perfect. More instructive than that cliché is that the pouch is an example of the priorities that often rule in these types of evaluations; namely, functionality and convenience can go a long way in countering alleged deficiencies relative to greenness.

Standing in the wings

In forecasting the future of the pouch, one can start with its compatibility with products across a wide range of characteristics: liquid, powder, granular, particulate, and discrete shapes. As such, brand-owners from a variety of industries and product categories, looking for a proven way to differentiate, will consider the pouch. The rate of adoption will accelerate with advances on the machinery front, as increased filling and sealing speeds make the pouch even more attractive.

Another impetus will be the growing ranks of contract packagers equipped to run the pouch, providing production options. Brand-owners can satisfy test markets and new launches, for example, while meeting speed-to-market requirements and postponing capital investment until it's economically justified.

In summary, for all the reasons given herein and for those not mentioned due to space limitations, the pouch will continue to experience a respectable rate of growth and evolution. At least that's how it looks from where I stand.

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