Because of their smaller weight, cheaper cost, design flexibility, and simplicity of recycling, rigid plastic packing is frequently preferred over traditional pack forms. Brand owners and merchants are under increasing public pressure to lessen the market’s environmental impact on plastic packing. Packing materials made from biodegradable or sustainable sources are being used as a response. No single factor doesn’t play a role in driving the growth of a certain market.
Improved barrier solutions, resin formulas, faster and more efficient processing technology, as well as solutions for aseptic filling and hot-filling of plastic packing are all contributing to a rise in plastic packing demand. Rigid plastic packing can still replace more traditional pack forms; however, in developed nations, important application areas like mineral water and soft drinks (carbonated) have already reached market saturation.
The use of virgin polymer will be curtailed by technological advancements including less weight and a growing market for recycled plastics. As the need for flexible stand-up pouch packaging in various food and beverage applications grows, the rigid plastic packaging market will have to contend with increased competition from the flexible plastic packaging industry. With PET expected to account for little over one-third of the global rigid plastic packing market’s consumption in 2013, PET has surpassed PE as the top polymer for rigid packaging. PET and PP are steadily outpacing PE in terms of market share.
GLS Group, after examining the latest trends in the Liquid packing industry in India , has listed main benefits that flexible liquid packing solutions has over the rigid packing solutions.
1. Lightweight:
Over time, lighter and lighter materials have been used in the bottled water industry, resulting in less waste. Despite this, PET bottles can no longer be made lighter by manufacturers. Consequently, the next phase in this process is to replace plastic bottles with the flexible pouches that are light in weight and much easier to carry. Over the years, this development has gained traction, although widespread use has not yet taken hold of the public.
Due to challenges with high-speed filling, PET bottles are filled at 1,500 packages per minute, while pouches can only be filled at 400 packages per minute. Newer PET bottle-filling methods, on the other hand, are designed to allow pouches to be filled using the same technology. The adoption of pouches will allow water businesses to lower their weight of packing by 50%, and this is expected to happen as early as 2014.
2. Ease of decorating:
Rigid package labels are included in the cost of the package because they are applied during the filling process. Converting a flexible packaging like a pouch usually comprises printing and laminating of the films if required. This printing has no influence on the filling procedure and just slightly raises the price of the pouch. Flexible packaging printing options are virtually limitless, and they can be modified at any time.
Inks that fade and reappear based on environmental conditions and pigment additives that only emerge in particular lighting are examples of solutions. GLS Group – one of the excellent Liquid packing solution companies in India believes that with strict alternatives, developing such technology is impossible.
3. Barrier properties:
With flexible packaging, a corporation has the opportunity to “dial in” a barrier that is appropriate for their product and end-user. A decent oxygen barrier is required for several items, including juices, wines, and milk. In the case where a barrier is not necessary, bottles made of PET can be used. It is possible to offer barrier properties to a flexible packaging, such as moisture and scent protection or even the same barriers as in glass.
Flexible packaging innovations like stand-up pouches have reduced the effectiveness of aluminium foil as a flexible barrier material for many years. The foil can tear if pressed in this manner, resulting in pinholes that let light, water, and oxygen to pass through. Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) is a new type of flexible material that can be used instead of foil. In thin layers, SAN is extremely durable and has recently been improved in terms of flexibility.
4. Packing variation and dispensing:
It’s easy to add handles, fittings, and opening features to packages constructed from flexible plastic films. The packaging can take on nearly any shape. Advanced dispensing features like screw caps and laser-scored tears are common in pouches. As an example, shrink labels can be applied to plastic bottles to increase their hard packaging. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, these labels also give additional protection against air or light.
Fittings for flexible liquid packing manufactured by the reputed Liquid packing manufacturer company in India, as well as pop-up straws and one-way dispensers, are all examples of important technological advancements in the dispensing industry. Dishwasher detergent pouches can be connected to the appliance directly using connecting valves so that the correct dosage is delivered with each cycle and no clean-up is necessary.
5. Larger sizes:
Increasing technological advancements have made it possible to make flexible packaging of ever-larger proportions. Now that retail outlets as well as consumer packed goods alike are taking advantage of larger-format packing, larger-format retail flexible packages are becoming the norm. High-end graphics and simple closures like those in flexible pouches for dry cereals have replaced the unprinted flexible liner and traditional paperboard carton. These are usually significantly larger packages.
As consumers learn more about the advantages of big format liquid packaging and converters advance their technological capabilities, we should expect to see a slew of additional pouch varieties produced.
