By Moira Stein, Insights & Strategy at Berlin Packaging
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Flexible packaging is the second largest pack type in the United States, holding a 30% volume share (following rigid plastics). It is commonly used for both primary and secondary packaging and includes bags/sachets, stand-up pouches, films, wrappers, tubes, and more.
According to GlobalData, unit volume is expected to grow by more than 13% between and to reach 230 billion units. Flexible packaging is extensively used in the food industry – including savory snacks, bakery & cereals, and confectionary – which will continue to drive its growth.
Brands and consumers appreciate flexible packaging for a variety of reasons. It is:
Lightweight: Flexible packaging typically uses lighter materials that provide significant weight savings compared to glass, rigid plastic, and stainless steel. This can result in reduced transportation and energy costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and greater efficiencies throughout the supply chain. According to the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), 1.5 pounds of flexible plastic will package the same amount of liquid food or beverage as 50 pounds of glass, 6 pounds of rigid PET, and 3 pounds of aluminum.
Economical: Flexible packaging is often cheaper than rigid alternatives because it can be less expensive to produce, transport, and store. Because flexible packaging can be stacked, compressed, or folded, it takes up less space during storage, transportation, and on store shelves. This space efficiency yields cost savings for warehousing and shipping. According to the FPA, 26 truckloads of glass packaging are necessary to fill the same amount of product as one truckload of unfilled flexible packaging.
Versatile: Flexible packaging has many applications and formats. It is easily customizable to different sizes and shapes, and a variety of coatings and decorations can be applied. Flexible packaging allows for high-quality printing (e.g., flexography, rotogravure, digital) and surface treatments, enabling brand owners to create eye-catching designs, highlight key product attributes, and deliver unique tactile experiences. Specialty shapes provide distinctive product profiles on store shelves to attract shoppers.
Protective: Flexible films incorporate barrier layers to protect products against moisture, oxygen, heat, odor, and light. Flexible packaging can seal in flavor and freshness, preserving contents for an extended period. Flexible pouches often include easy-open mechanisms and resealable options, such as zippers and spouts. Stand-up pouches with child-resistant-capable closures meet the requirements of the medical, home care, agriculture, and chemicals industries. Innovative fitments and technologies engineer aseptic spouted pouches.
Durable: Unlike glass, flexible packaging is shatterproof. While it is not immune to punctures from sharp objects, it resists dents and deformations that can mar other pack forms, such as aluminum packaging.
Portable: Given its lightweight, malleable, and durable properties, it is easy for consumers to transport for on-the-go use.
When it comes to sustainability, flexible packaging has pros and cons, with several factors contributing to its environmental impact. On the plus side, flexible packaging is lightweight, and the reduced transportation requirements contribute to a smaller environmental footprint. Branch Basics Oxygen Boost uses a pouch that weighs 89% less than a plastic container and holds twice the amount of product.
This results in reductions of 14.6 tons of CO2 emissions every year in shipping. Refillable and reusable packaging is a top growth driver of flexible packaging. Many household and personal care brands have turned to refill pouches to meet their sustainable packaging goals. Late last year, Babo Botanicals launched their first eco-friendly refill pouch for their shampoo & wash collection. The pouches are made with 30% post-consumer recycled plastic and use 80% less plastic than two 16oz bottles, reducing the company’s use of virgin plastic.
When it comes to recyclability, flexible packaging poses some challenges. Multi-material flexibles, including combinations of plastic and foil, plastic and paper, and foil and paper can complicate the recycling process because the different materials can’t be separated. Most municipal curbside recycling systems cannot handle packaging films. Some retailers will accept flexible packaging with in-store drop-off bins. However, the Flexible Packaging Association estimates only 5% of the film is collected through store drop-off for recycling.
Sustainability is just one of several trends impacting the flexible packaging market.
Sustainability: Innovations are being introduced to improve the recyclability of flexible packaging. GlobalData states, “Mono-material innovation and implementation in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market is essential in moving flexible packaging towards being seen as sustainable and a circular packaging form.”
Colgate-Palmolive developed the first recyclable toothpaste tube made with 100% recyclable HDPE plastic. According to the brand’s website, “By combining different layers of HDPE laminate at varying thicknesses, Colgate engineers were able to produce a soft, easy-to-squeeze recyclable tube that will also protect the product across roughly 150 brushing occasions during the life of a typical 6 oz. tube.”
Stonyfield Organic yogurt launched a new fully recyclable spouted pouch for their YoBaby line. The new package replaces the previous multi-laminate pouch with a mono-material polyethylene (PE) recycle-ready laminate.
E-Commerce: According to Forbes, more than 20% of retail purchases made in are expected to occur online. Flexible packaging can be an effective e-commerce solution that meets consumer satisfaction and retailer requirements, including those set forth by Amazon and Walmart. Amazon’s Compact by Design identifies products with an efficient package design.
Due to its ability to conform to a variety of product shapes and sizes, flexible packaging can be right-sized to improve volume utilization and reduce air in the package. In addition to space reduction, its lightweight properties provide shipping efficiencies and cost savings. E-commerce is also impacting flexible packaging when it comes to shipping materials. According to Amazon, 49% of their shipments in were delivered in flexible packaging. They expanded their use of paper-padded mailers across the U.S. and Canada, replacing 99% of harder-to-recycle mixed-material padded bags.
Digitalization: Technology is playing an increasingly significant role in our everyday lives, with today’s consumers always “on” and connected. According to GlobalData, more than half of global consumers (55%) are actively looking for smartphone connectivity when making purchases, and 42% are always or often influenced by how digitally advanced a product or service is. With information at their fingertips, consumers scrutinize products and brands before making purchase decisions.
Digital tools like QR codes and near-field communication (NFC) technology allow consumers to connect with brands in more robust and engaging ways. A quick scan redirects shoppers to a brand’s website to view product tutorials, browse products, read reviews, discover ingredient information, learn about a company’s social or environmental initiatives, and more. Besides consumer engagement, smart technology can help companies with real-time monitoring and traceability of products throughout the supply chain. Smart sensors embedded in flexible packaging can provide data on temperature, humidity, location, and more.
About The Author
Moira Stein with Insights & Strategy at Berlin Packaging has spent 20+ years working in brand marketing, with a focus on strategy and design. For the past three years, she has helped Berlin Packaging’s customers leverage consumer and category insights to develop strategic package design solutions that create impact and drive sales. Moira has experience across a variety of sectors, including food & beverage, personal care, and home care. Her clients have included large CPG companies like SC Johnson, Kraft, and ConAgra Foods, as well as small distilleries, wineries, craft breweries, and start-ups.
The supplement industry is a booming but competitive industry. If you’re a supplement brand or supplement manufacturer, each and every decision regarding how you formulate, create, market, and sell your products is important and should be well-thought-out, including your supplement packaging. These days, pouch packaging is one of the most effective and popular options for supplement packaging.
Pouch packaging comes with many advantages for supplement brands and very few disadvantages. For starters, there is a wide variety of pouch options available for different kinds of products and different kinds of consumers. This makes it easy to tailor your packaging directly to your target market. Pouch packaging is also more environmentally friendly and cheaper than many other packaging options, which makes it a very attractive option for many supplement brands.
Are you interested in learning more about pouch packaging for your supplements? In this article, you’ll learn all about pouches. You’ll learn what they are and about the many different types of pouches available for supplements. You’ll also learn about some of the greatest advantages and disadvantages of using this type of supplement packaging so that you can decide whether or not it’s a good option for your target market.
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Pouch packaging is a type of packaging for food or supplements that resembles a bag. The difference between pouch packaging and a traditional bag is that pouches are made from materials that are designed to keep the products inside safe from any external factors that could damage them, including light, heat, moisture, and odors. Pouches are also made to be more durable and resistant to punctures than traditional bags.
Most pouch packaging manufacturers achieve this high level of protection and durability by laminating together multiple layers of film that offer different kinds of protection. Metalized film in a laminated structure, for example, can significantly enhance protection from vapor and humidity. Nylon, on the other hand, is a good material to protect contents from oxygen and also helps make a pouch stronger and more durable. The best pouch manufacturers laminate multiple layers of film together to create a strong and effective material.
Interested in learning about other packaging options? Check out The Pros and Cons of Blister Packaging →
Pouch packaging is a rising trend. The pouch packaging market was valued at USD 18.03 billion in and is expected to reach a value of USD 22.65 billion by . That’s a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.66% from -. According to numbers generated by a Harris Poll, 83 % of all brand owners currently use flexible packaging of some type. [1]
But, why is pouch packaging such a booming industry? What makes pouch packaging the new preferred packaging type for manufacturers and consumers? Here are some of the greatest advantages of pouch packaging:
First and foremost, pouches take up much less space in a landfill than a bulky plastic container, which makes it a much more sustainable option. Secondly, pouches require much less material to produce than many other competing options. This reduces waste, manufacturing costs, and the product’s overall carbon footprint.
If you want to catch consumers’ attention and sell more supplements, your design is crucial. Pouches give you plenty of room to create beautiful, eye-catching designs for your supplements. Check out these beautiful pouches for design inspiration.
One of the greatest advantages of pouch packaging for consumers is that it’s easy to travel with. Unlike bulky canisters and containers that are heavy and take up a lot of room in a suitcase, pouches are flexible, lightweight, and take up very little space. If your supplements require a strict regimen (one serving a day, for example), you should consider supplement packaging options that are easy to transport, so your consumers can take their supplements with them wherever they go.
Last but not least, as sustainability becomes more and more important to both producers and consumers, many brands are turning to materials other than plastic to package their products. Other materials, however, can be much more expensive to manufacture and produce than traditional plastic. Pouch packaging is a good way to meet in the middle. It’s more sustainable than traditional, bulky, plastic canisters, and it’s cheaper than alternatives like glass, metal, and cardboard.
There’s only really one major disadvantage to pouch packaging: It’s not as durable as other packaging options. That being said, many packaging manufacturers create their own pouch materials by laminating together multiple layers of film that offer different kinds of protection.
Interested in learning about other packaging options? Check out The Pros and Cons of Blister Packaging →
There are many types of pouches you can choose for your supplements. There are single serving pouches and multi-serving pouches. There are pouches that stand up and pouches that don’t. There are transparent pouches and opaque pouches. There are resealable pouches and non-resealable pouches. The list goes on and on.
The important thing to keep in mind is that pouch options are not mutually exclusive. That is to say, you can combine the many types below to create the perfect pouch for your products and the special needs of your target market. Let’s take a look at some of the many pouch options you can choose for your supplements.
Offering single-dose options to your customers is a great way to allow them to try your product without having to buy an entire bottle, box, or container. It’s also a great way to give out free samples, showcasing any new products you’ve recently formulated to your existing customers.
Pouch packaging is one of the best options for single doses. Stick packs are ideal for single servings of powders, and small, flat, pill pouches are perfect for single-serving vitamin samples. Single-dose pouches offer a great way to provide customized daily vitamins in the form of capsules, tablets, and pills to your customers. These customized daily vitamin packs are a fresh, new trend in the supplement industry.
Multiple-dose pouch packaging is perfect for consumers who regularly take supplements in the form of powders. It’s more sustainable than bulky containers, as it takes up less room in landfills, and it’s also great for consumers who travel frequently since it takes up less room in a suitcase.
If you’d rather use pouches than containers for your multiple-dose powder supplements, stand-up pouches are your best option. Stand-up pouch packaging makes it easier for retailers to showcase and sell your products and for consumers to safely store your products on their shelves at home. It’s also more convenient to work with as it’s easier for consumers to scoop from a stand-up package than a flat package.
Most stand-up pouch packaging is gusseted packaging. Gusset packaging includes extra material on the sides or bottom of the pouch so that the pouch can expand and stand upright.
How consumers will open your pouch is another key detail to keep in mind. There are a couple of different easy-open options. You can use a pouch with two divots on each side indicating that the package can be opened by tearing from one side to the other. Another option is to perforate the top of the bag, making it extra easy for consumers to open. A third option, and a slightly more difficult option for consumers, is to seal the pouch in the middle and have consumers open by pulling at each side.
If you’re serving multiple doses in pouches, you’ll have to make sure the package is resealable. The most common option is to include a zipper, which can be a press-to-close zipper or a slide-to-close zipper. Slide-to-close zippers are slightly easier for consumers to work with, and they’re also more secure. With press zippers, it’s easy to miss some spots and leave the bag slightly open. With slide zippers, this scenario is almost impossible.
Another decision you’ll have to make is whether you prefer transparent or opaque packaging; each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Transparent packaging is great for pill pouches as many consumers like to see the shape and size of the pills they’ll be swallowing. Transparent packaging, however, allows much less room for design and marketing messages.
There is a lot to keep in mind when choosing packaging for your supplements, but with a little help, choosing supplement packaging can be a fun and exciting process!
One of the best ways to ensure that you’re choosing the right packaging for your supplements is by choosing a supplement manufacturer that also handles your packaging and design. That way, you can get tips and advice from experts who not only understand packaging options but also understand the industry, your exact product, and the needs of your customers.
Generation Nutra offers many kinds of packaging options, including pouch packaging. Here are some additional benefits of building your supplement brand with Generation Nutra:
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