How flexible packaging can be green?

Packaging field is confronted with many challenges. Nowadays, one of the most important one is waste prevention. At present, companies in the flexible packaging industry are more aware about the importance of the reduction of the waste that their activity and processes produces.

Most of people believe that reducing the number of waste in this field is a difficult task. However, having a packaging product that’s high quality, cost-effective and environmentally conscious is a tough balance to achieve, but not impossible.

According to Mark Brogan, journalist for Packaging Digest magazine, flexible packaging’s unique attributes can provide opportunities to tackle some sustainability challenges. By using flexible packaging, brands can reduce CO2 emissions by moving more products with fewer trucks or planes because it is lighter to ship than rigid alternatives. As Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) explains, one truckload of flexible packaging is equivalent to 26 truckloads of glass jars.

Regarding transport, flexible packaging can also reduce waste by offering the appropriate barrier properties to protect the product. Specifically, certain produce in flexible packaging increment considerably the shelf life of products over traditional forms of packaging. Besides, most of the materials normally used are recyclable via select locations and, furthermore, packaging is changing to be more sustainability eliminating toxic constituents, using less material, making it reusable, using recycled content and making it readily recyclable. In this sense, regarding packaging pouches, most of them are manufactured with compostable materials that make the most out of all available resources to optimize energy and reduce waste.

We can say that sustainability has become an important goal for businesses seeking a minimal environmental impact. Flexible packaging is being positioned as a possible solution to meet this goal.