The Flexible Packaging Blog

Reviews, trends, and tips covering all things flexible packaging to protect your products and your bottom line.

Nathan Dube

As the Digital Marketing Specialist at Industrial Packaging, I am honored to create content for such a phenomenal company and work with one of the greatest teams in the Packaging Industry. Whether creating a video, writing blog posts or generating other pieces of content and multimedia, I am always excited to help educate and inspire our prospects and clients to reach their highest potential in regards to their packaging processes and needs.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Packaging Design

By: Nathan Dube
December 6th, 2022

In our digitally connected world, we go through many corrugated boxes—just Amazon alone ships millions of packages to customers worldwide. Do you have empty cardboard boxes sitting unused in your house somewhere? Yeah, me too! You are probably wondering what to do with them. You could toss them in the recycling bin and hope they get recycled. But, with contamination issues in single-stream recycling, how do you know if they are really getting recycled? Single-stream recycling is the most widespread recycling platform in the USA. For consumers who use it, here is how it works. Consumers are given two bins from their waste management vendor. The vendor drops off one bin for trash and one bin for recycling. All recyclable materials are tossed into the recycling bin. The waste management company picks up the bin and transports the materials. They deliver the materials to a warehouse. In the warehouse, the materials are sorted for recycling. Any materials contaminated with food particles, liquids, or other contaminants are sent to a landfill. This is where contamination becomes an issue. Many consumers do not adequately clean and dry the materials before putting them in the recycling bin. When this happens, any contaminated materials end up in a landfill. When it comes to contamination issues, you could always throw these materials in the trash. But do you really want to do that? Corrugated cardboard that ends up in the landfill takes up a lot of space. It produces tons of methane, one of the most destructive greenhouse gasses known today. Wouldn't it be cool if there was something else that you could do with all those empty boxes? Something besides just throwing them away? What if there was a way to reuse the boxes? There may be another way to recycle them with the assurance that they will be recycled. What if you could turn all those boxes into something useful or even a work of art? Are there ways to put these empty containers to better use? Well, the short answer is YES! From charitable causes like Give Back Box to artisanal expressions of high art and pop culture, there are many different things you can do to reuse and recycle all those empty cardboard boxes. With over sixty-five years in the packaging industry, Industrial Packaging is no stranger to corrugated boxes. We know the complications in recycling that come with this type of packaging. But we also have some extraordinary ways for you to repurpose those boxes. We also know about the various sustainable alternatives to corrugated boxes. These can help make your packaging more environmentally friendly. In this article, we will explore some of the charitable and creative ways that you can reduce, reuse, and recycle corrugated boxes. Additionally, we explore some of the sustainable alternatives to cardboard boxes.

Blog Feature

Food Packaging

By: Nathan Dube
November 29th, 2022

Are you curious about freeze-dried food packaging and the process of freeze-drying food? You are not alone. Many people are looking into both of these topics. The COVID-19 pandemic has skyrocketed consumer demand for shelf-stable foods. And according to recent reports, this trend is here to stay. With consumers shifting their focus to non-perishables, we can also expect freeze-dried foods to become more and more popular. If you’re just learning about freeze-dried foods to stockpile, you’re probably wondering, “what is freeze-drying food?” You may also be looking for information on freeze-dried food packaging. In this article, we will explore the process of freeze-drying food and note some of the popular packaging supplies used for packaging this type of food.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment

By: Nathan Dube
November 22nd, 2022

Biodegradable stretch film is becoming a hugely popular packaging material. And this trend will only increase in popularity as we enter 2023. Many people are just learning about biodegradable stretch films. When they do, many of those people become intrigued by the product and reach out to learn more about the material. With an ever more prominent call from consumers to "go green," it should be no surprise that companies everywhere are looking for plant-based and biodegradable packaging materials to ensure that their company becomes more sustainable and leaves less of an impact on our planet earth. So it makes sense that while biodegradable stretch film is brand new to the market, many people are researching the material and purchasing it for their product palletizing needs. And while people obviously know that biodegradable stretch film is biodegradable, many buyers ask, "is biodegradable stretch film recyclable?". And if you are asking yourself the same question, we are happy to announce that we can answer this question for you! This article will reveal whether or not biodegradable stretch film is recyclable. After reading this article, you will know if biodegradable stretch film is a suitable sustainable packaging material for your needs.

Blog Feature

By: Nathan Dube
November 17th, 2022

Are you looking for a trustworthy packaging vendor? If so, you are among many people looking for the same thing. When entering a relationship with a packaging company, you have a lot to think about. You will want to choose wisely. When choosing a packaging vendor, you want to choose a packaging company with great customer service, fair prices, excellent logistics, multiple materials, services, machinery options, and reasonable lead times. And you will want to choose a trustworthy packaging partner. But how do you select a trustworthy packaging vendor? What are the key elements you need to consider when searching for a packaging vendor you can trust? And, what makes a packaging company trustworthy? This article will explain the essential items of consideration when looking for a trustworthy packaging vendor. After reading this article, you should have what you need to choose a packaging business that you can trust.

Blog Feature

By: Nathan Dube
November 15th, 2022

You have a lot to think about when looking for the best food packaging solutions provider for your food packaging requirements. You want to choose a food packaging solutions provider that you can trust. And you want to choose a company that has the capability to package the types of food you are looking to package. You will have to ensure that the packaging company you are considering has the types of packaging machinery, materials, and services you need. If you are looking for a contract packaging company to package your foods for you, you will need to make sure they have the specialized infrastructure needed to package your specific food options. You won't want to choose the first food packaging solutions provider that you find on Google. Instead, you will want to compare at least two or three packaging companies that fit the criteria that you are looking for. But how do you choose the proper food packaging solutions provider for your business? What questions do you need to answer in advance of your search? This article will show you how to find the right food packaging solutions provider for your food packaging needs. After reading this article, you should be ready to begin your search!

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment

By: Nathan Dube
November 10th, 2022

Do you know the difference between compostable and biodegradable packaging materials? At first glance, you would be forgiven for thinking they are identical. But they are absolutely not the same thing. And you must understand the difference between these two types of sustainable packaging materials before you attempt to make a purchase. That is because there are entirely different disposal protocols for each of these earth-friendly packaging supplies. Suppose you do not follow the instructions for the proper disposal of each of these materials. In that case, they may not biodegrade, negating the materials' sustainability and causing more harm than good to our planet. But what are the differences between compostable and biodegradable packaging materials? How do you properly dispose of each material? And where can you purchase compostable and biodegradable packaging materials? After reading this article, you will have a good understanding of the difference between compostable and biodegradable packaging materials.