The Flexible Packaging Blog

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

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment

By: Nathan Dube
September 16th, 2021

Maybe you are a business owner who is environmentally conscious and concerned about the impact of your packaging materials on our planet earth. Then again, you could be hyper-focused on your customer's feelings about sustainability and the environment. Or perhaps you are both. Either way, you spent a fair amount of time researching different types of environmentally friendly and sustainable packaging materials. You have considered various options such as flexible packaging, recyclable packaging, bio-based packaging, and compostable packaging. After reviewing the various types of sustainable packaging supplies currently available, you have taken a keen and penetrating interest in compostable packaging. From the surface level, compostable packaging seems like a miracle cure for the detrimental effects of traditional plastic packaging supplies. You are hoping that you can use these supplies to make your business far more green. However, you are not sure how compostable packaging actually works once it has reached your customer. And, you want to know if compostable packaging is fully biodegradable. With decades in the packaging industry, Industrial Packaging has had our thumb on the pulse of compostable packaging since the day it arrived on the market. This article will explain the complexities of compostable packaging and reveal the truth of the situation regarding the question, "is compostable packaging really biodegradable?"

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment | The Business of Packaging | Packaging Design | Food Packaging

As we move into summer, one thing that appears to be on many consumer's minds is sustainability Millions of people in the food industry are trying to figure out how to make less of an impact on our planet earth. Which, all things considered, is a good idea. While the thought of heading to the cold, desolate, desert world of Mars may be appealing to some, most of us plan on staying here. And, if that is the case, we obviously want to take care of our home rather than trash and destroy it, right? But, when it comes to making less of an impact on the environment and taking actions that make a difference, what can the everyday consumer do? How can you be a good steward of planet earth while still enjoying a modern lifestyle that’s so dependent upon copious amounts of packaging materials? As someone who works in the food industry, you are also thinking about these things and figuring out how to make your products more earth-friendly. You are looking for a food packaging material that will make less of an impact on planet earth. By this point, you have probably learned that flexible packaging is one of the most sustainable packaging material choices on the market today. But you're not exactly sure what the benefits of flexible packaging for your food products are. Today, we are going to change all that. Industrial Packaging has been working with earth-friendly and sustainable, flexible packaging materials for decades. And we have helped countless companies just like yours switch to greener packaging supplies. That is why we have invited UBE Europe GmbH to write on behalf of Change & Challenge to discuss the sustainable and environmental benefits of flexible packaging for food retailers. This article will explore the top 5 benefits of choosing flexible packaging for your products regarding sustainability and their impact on the environment.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment

By: Nathan Dube
April 8th, 2021

Earth-Friendly! Compostable! Biodegradable! Sustainable! All of these are surely buzz words you have seen a million times before. For instance, there has been a lot of pressure from consumers to replace plastic straws with paper ones. Then you have the public call to corporations to drop single-use plastics. These modern words of power have invaded the collective unconscious. This is true for most consumers the world over. This is all for a good reason. This sentiment stems from the perspective of a love affair with planet earth. Due to various reasons, many types of "earth-friendly" packaging are, in fact, not. For example, contamination in the single-stream recycling process. Then, there is the required protocols for biodegradable options. Do you buy biodegradable shrink films? If you don't compost them, you reduce all the earth-friendly elements of the material. Industrial Packaging has over 60 years in the packaging business. We know what works and what does not for sustainable packaging supplies. In this article, we will explore the requirements for composting biodegradable shrink films. Will your consumers implement these protocols? If so, they may very well make sense for your business. If not, you may make less of an impact on the environment with traditional packaging films.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment | Packaging Design

By: Nathan Dube
January 21st, 2021

Are you a seasoned veteran in packaging or a start-up getting ready to package your products? Either way, finding the appropriate packaging for your products, is essential. Today, there are thousands of packaging materials to choose from. You have rigid packaging, flexible packaging, and specialized options in between. There are countless packaging supplies to consider. You will likely have more than a few reasons for looking into using shrink film (also known as shrink wrap). There are many reasons why you would want to choose shrink wrap. Shrink wrap (which is different from stretch film) is commonly chosen over other materials. Industrial Packaging has sold hundreds of thousands of rolls of film. We’ve coached thousands of happy customers on how to select the right type of film. It may seem like a simple process to buy rolls of shrink wrap. But, there is a lot to consider before choosing shrink wrap as your packaging material. This article will help you understand why you would want to package your products in shrink film. First, we’ll dive into three primary considerations. These are things you need to be thinking about when it comes to using shrink wrap. Then, we’ll talk about the pros and cons and where it’s best to buy this material.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment | Packaging Design

By: Nathan Dube
January 5th, 2021

Various trends in the realm of packaging are expected to be hot-button topics in the new year. One of these topics is sustainable, recyclable, and environmentally friendly packaging materials. There has been a growing demand from consumers worldwide for companies to seriously consider the shift from single-use plastics to what many consider to be more environmentally friendly materials. But, as many consumers are slowly finding out, what is actually "environmentally friendly" and what is not can often be confused. This is the result of various forms of green-washing and carefully crafted corporate marketing materials. So, how do you know this article itself is not in fact a green-washing attempt? Well, for one thing, we are going to show you how compostable packaging materials can be properly implemented. We will show you how they can be earth-friendly alternatives while also providing other sustainable packaging options for those you who are unable compost properly. In the end, you can decide for yourself. One of these future potential packaging materials is compostable items such as biodegradable shrink films, biodegradable flexible pouches, and various other types of bio-plastic materials, which are often made at least in part, from plants. This article will help you identify when compostable packaging materials may make sense for you and those situations in which traditional packaging materials are the more environmentally-friendly choice.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment

By: Nathan Dube
November 24th, 2020

When it comes to packaging materials, plastic is so common. It is found in practically every packaging application you could possibly imagine. There are literally billions of tons of plastic in our world today. There are even millions of pounds of new plastic being produced every year! And while some companies such as Coca-Cola have stood their ground in defense of using plastic, many companies are being told by their customers that plastic needs to be phased out to make way for more environmentally friendly options. You are probably here because you are researching plastic packaging alternatives. Maybe you are the owner of a new start-up, or perhaps you have been in business for decades and are trying to meet the environmental demands of your consumer base. Regardless of what factors set your search in motion, you know that you need to find potential replacements for plastic packaging. With over 60 years in the packaging industry, Industrial Packaging has seen thousands of different types of materials come and go. We’ve helped countless businesses optimize their packaging design when making the transition to environmentally friendly alternative packaging materials. In this article, we will take a look at a few different varieties of sustainable, recyclable, and environmentally friendly plastic packaging alternatives that are sure to draw the attention of your customers and prospects alike!