Flexible Packaging Printing

In the modern world, every company needs to be wary of its impact on the environment. Minimizing waste products is an enormous aspect for operating a sustainable and responsible business. This brings flexible packaging into question. Where does it fall on the scale of environmental impact? It may surprise you to learn that the packaging option that creates beef jerky pouches and tons of plastic is actually one of the better environmental packaging options. Flexible packaging has environmental benefits in both of the areas that matter:

  • Front end – Manufacturing
  • Back end – Waste Products

The Front End

When someone mentions the “front end” of environmental impact, they are referring to the energy cost of manufacturing an item. For example, hybrid cars are good for the environment because they create fewer emissions when driving around, but the process of manufacturing the car in the first place creates an amount of emissions too. The manufacturing process is on the front end.

Flexible packaging is quite environmentally friendly in this regard. It takes less energy to create flexible packaging compared to glass, aluminum, and other packaging types. This means the factories that create the packaging release less greenhouse gasses. Less energy is also used for transporting the space-saving packaging, such as ePac frozen food pouches.

The Back End

On the back end, a product creates a certain amount of waste product that ends up in landfills. Flexible snack packaging may seem like a big offender in this regard, but the improved shelf-life actually decreases the amount of waste that ends up in the landfill. A large amount of waste is created due to expiration dates. If a product does not sell before expiring, it must simply be thrown away. A longer shelf-life means it is more likely to be purchased by a consumer, and the shelves need to be restocked less often. Learn more about how flexible packaging can become your packaging choice.