Plastic bags are no longer going to be the only thing from the grocery store to be recycled, as flexible food packaging continues to grow. Recycling, along with usability and different features, are the main concerns facing this new wave of packaging. The industry has begun to take note of this and is working to improve plastics reuse and recyclability while keeping key sale features in mind.
The use of flexible packaging in the form of pouches and film wraps is growing throughout the world, however, the nature of the packaging materials can discourage effective recycling. Although consumers seem to be more concerned with where waste is going, recycling has never been practical from a cost or reuse standpoint. Consumers are looking for packaging with many different features such as maintaining freshness and resealing integrity, which in turn makes recycling in most collection systems difficult.
Although there are cons to flexible packaging, this trend is not going to be dying out anytime soon. Flexible packaging offers cost savings from material reduction which creates weight savings and reduces shipping costs and the carbon footprint of the item. This is especially instrumental due to the increasing number of consumers ordering groceries online. As more consumers order groceries online from vendors who are offering free shipping, interest in flexible packaging and shipping cost savings will continue to increase.
With all of this interest in the market, many companies have already started developing packaging that is sustainable, cost effective, and environmentally friendly. The Flexible Packaging Association’s 2019 achievement awards highlights this. The Highest Achievement Award went to the Molson Coors 12 Pack Cooler Bag. This packaging solution redefines the tried-and-true beer carton that we are all familiar with. Not only does this bag hold the beer you are purchasing, it can also be used as a portable cooler and then later turned into a reusable bag. The flat-bottom pouch won for packaging excellence, printing and shelf impact, and for expanding the use of flexible packaging into the network.
Industry and brand holders have begun to take on the challenges that flexible packaging will bring and will soon be showcasing how plastic can be environmentally friendly and cost effective. Who knows what will be the next thing to be put into a pouch will be?