Did you know that the demand for flexible packaging is growing faster than any other form of packaging today? According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the flexible packaging market is registering a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 4.37% from 2021 to 2026. 

From a regional perspective, Asia Pacific is expected to witness a significant increase in demand from the food industry. This is due to a rapid increase in population as well as new consumer habits resulting from the pandemic. 

For food manufacturers, flexible packaging can be more appealing due to a number of factors beyond convenience. They include meeting sustainability goals, reducing food waste, and increasing food safety. 

WHY FLEXIBLE PACKAGING MAKES SENSE 

With its transparent nature and 360-degree packaging, flexible packaging offers manufacturers the platform to communicate details that are important to consumers, such as nutritional value, expiration dates, and ingredients. This would not have been possible with the likes of rigid packaging. With information being shown on the packaging, it enables the brand to build trust among the consumers, increasing the likelihood of customer loyalty and retention.

Flexible packaging also offers increased food safety. If packages fall off the shelves or come in contact with non-food products, the packaging prevents contamination from dust, insects, rodents, germs, toxic hazards, and more. Separately, the ability to package airtight protects your food from environmental elements such as sunlight or changes in temperature, thereby reducing the chances of damage during transportation or in storage.

On top of that, sustainability is a driving factor for the use of flexible packaging. The packaging allows for regulation of oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture within to retain the freshness of the food, extending shelf life and reducing waste. It also enables you to meet sustainability goals, using approximately 33.4 times fewer materials than other rigid packaging materials that hold the same product volume. This means that flexible packaging consumes about half the energy needed during the manufacturing process, requires less storage space, and effectively reduces carbon emissions during transportation.  

What about cost? You may ask. There is a perception that sustainable, flexible packaging is costlier than traditional packaging. 

Well, while there is a need to create multi-layer films for more secure barriers in food packaging, the durable layers protect the packaging from being damaged during assembly or transportation. These additional layers aid in organisational efficiency and actually reduce your overall manufacturing costs. 

HERE’S HOW WE HELP SUSTAIN FOOD FRESHNESS AND MAINTAIN COST-EFFICIENCY

As an innovative leader in flexible packaging, our products are developed to meet your business and sustainability goals. With applications such as fill packaging, horizontal flow packaging, lamination and lidding, our smart adhesives ensure your food products stay fresh for an extended period of time. 

In particular, our M-Resin technology offers increased operational efficiency with free-flowing, uniformed pellets that can easily feed into any existing equipment – both blown and cast extrusion resins as well as many screw and barrel designs. M-Resin technology also strikes a balance between a hermetic (airtight) and resealable adhesive – sustaining the freshness of food and even lengthening its shelf life.  

Separately, for manufacturers looking for heat seal solutions to complement their choice of clear, flexible packaging, our anti-fog heat seal coatings would be the smart solution. They utilise fewer materials by combining heat seal and anti-fog capabilities into one solution, reducing overall manufacturing costs, production issues or SKU volumes. Not only does this combination mean a reduction in the processing time, these polyester-based coatings also run faster than water-based  solutions, therefore able to meet high output demands. Finally, these coatings are versatile, designed to work with various types of converting equipment.  

With a commitment to developing fast-curing, environmentally-friendly products that not only define modern, flexible packaging but make the most business sense, Bostik offers a range of adhesive solutions  for packaging of food, including meat, cheese, seafood, and more.

To learn more about how our adhesives support your flexible packaging applications, please visit us at: www.bostik.com