In what seems like the blink of an eye, the holidays are upon us. Every year, we get to witness a variety of holiday packaging trends developed and followed by companies across their industries. From new colors and textures to packaging innovations, there are usually exciting (and sometimes strange!) ideas added to the mix. We’ve even experienced a fair share of controversial holiday packaging concepts. As far as we’ve seen, 2018 will be no different.

If you haven’t switched over to flexible packaging yet (or you aren’t at least considering it), it’s time to stop and think about why. Flexible packaging has been at the forefront of packaging innovation for decades, and its popularity continues to explode across a myriad of product industries. Not sure why this packaging solution has become such a big deal? You might be missing some critical facts and insights that shed a bright light on the subject.

Just a few short weeks ago, Governor Jerry Brown made California the first U.S. state to legally prohibit dine-in restaurants from automatically providing plastic straws to customers. Although this event marks one of the first legislative actions on the matter, the plastic straw ban has become a popular movement among companies and local governments across the country, with many vowing to completely end usage of plastic straws and packaging by the end of 2018.

Augmented Reality, known as AR, is a concept where we use technology to superimpose virtual information on to the world that we see. Gaming is one popular application of this technology. Did you know that product packaging is another? In fact, augmented reality has incredibly useful applications in the packaging industry. This fascinating technology can be used to enhance product packaging, improve brand loyalty, attract new customers, and stand out from competitors. The best part? Often, all you need is a QR code or a bit of minor tweaking to your package design.

If you want to achieve maximum efficiency with your production and packaging strategies, it’s never been enough to operate with a day-to-day, tactical mentality. This short-term mindset will only go as far as helping you accomplish daily tasks and meeting project goals. But in 2018 especially, it takes a much more proactive approach to realize long-term organizational success and achieve the efficiencies that have a lasting impact on your bottom line and growth.

From consumer goods to electronics. From cosmetics to medical supplies. Flexible packaging is a crucial material in the supply chain of many industries and products. Flexible packaging combines the best qualities of plastics and films. These versatile packaging supplies are a functional solution that requires minimal production costs. Flexible packaging is any package or any part of a package whose shape can be readily changed.” Common examples of flexible packaging include bags, pouches, shrink films, tubes, sleeves, and carded packaging. In this article, we detail why flexible packaging is so beneficial. And, we also outline considerations for purchasing flexible packaging for your products.