Progressive Pouches

ProAmpac developed these varying stand up soup pouches.

Flexible pouches have come a long way, albeit slowly and over a long period of time, but nonetheless, pouches can be used for everything from coffee and tea to condiments and pet treats. As more products take advantage of flexible pouches for their versatility, printers and converters need to be able to offer a variety of options for any brand that walks in the door.

The Matter of Materials and Shape

Sal Pellingra, vice president of innovation and technology, and Millie Nuno, director of marketing, both at ProAmpac — a company that uses flexographic and rotogravure printing techniques — explain that differentiation is key.

This pouch from ProAmpac holds a single pickle, demonstrating the diversity of products turning to flexible packaging.

Different functionalities, such as hook and loop zippers and flip top spouts, can help packaging stand out on shelf. But one trend that is catching on is the use of creatively shaped packages to catch the consumer’s eye. For example, ProAmpac worked with Duke’s Mayonnaise to create a flexible pouch with a unique hourglass shape, which won a silver award for packaging excellence at the recent Flexible Packaging Association Achievement Awards.

“Duke’s Mayo did consider a straight, wall pouch, but they wanted to stand out on the shelf in the biggest way possible,” Nuno says. “Adding the shape did that for them.”

It’s not just the shape of the pouch that can trigger a purchase, sometimes it’s the feel of the pouch that does the trick. Pellingra explains that organic brands in particular are using matte finishes and paper to mimic the look and feel of what it means to be organic. He also explains that there is a huge trend of windows being added to flexible packaging.

“Baby boomers are more trusting of brands and will buy a product for its name, whereas millennials are less trusting and want to see the product and read the ingredients,” he explains.

However ProAmpac isn’t the only company that has seen a drastic upswing in matte materials. Bill Walters, executive VP, packaging technology, at Pacific Bag Inc. (PBi) — a flexographic, rotogravure and digital printer — explains that a few decades ago companies began to use shiny, plastic-type materials to stand out from the paper materials that were used in the 1970s and 1980s. Now, companies are moving toward matte polypropylene and matte polyester films, as well as bleached and natural kraft papers.

ProAmpac worked with Duke’s Mayonnaise to create a flexible pouch that used a unique shape to help it stand out on the shelf.

“In the past people were saying, ‘Hey look at this shiny bag that is going to keep your product fresh, it’s different than paper,’” he says. “Now people are putting paper on the outside of the high-barrier flexible packaging laminate.”

Walters believes it’s partly a fashion trend, partly differentiation and partly due to a cultural movement to become more “natural.”

But, as any consumer knows, keeping edible items fresh is essential. One trend that Nuno says isn’t going anywhere anytime soon is reclosable pouches.

“Resealability is still huge,” she says. “Closures in general will continue to grow.”

A type of resealable closure that is just beginning to take hold in the market is the hook-to-hook, zipper-type closure. Walters believes that this could be a growing trend in the future, as it is an easier-to-use alternative to the traditional zipper closure on flexible packaging.

In the past two years, Mike Mead, VP of sales and marketing at Roastar Digital Pouches, has noticed more flat-bottom box pouches being used, particularly in pet food and coffee. To meet the demand, Roastar — which prints digital-only flexible packaging using its HP Indigo digital presses — recently added the capabilities to print and manufacture this type of pouch.

PBi has also added flat-bottom box pouches to its repertoire. He explains that the company added the capabilities a few years ago because it can stand up well on the shelf and be packaged and shipped easily.

“I think it’s the next stand up pouch,” he says.

Packaging for the Conservationist

Roastar recently added flat-bottom box pouches.

It’s not just the shape and design of a pouch that can trigger a purchase, in general, consumers are becoming more concerned with the effects their purchases will have on the environment.

Mead explains that he has seen an uptick in environmentally friendly packaging and compostable films. Roastar offers a variety of pouch options made from compostable film for use with coffee and other food items, which is currently being tested against the ASTM D6400 standards for compostability.

“Compostable films can be tricky because they need to strike a balance between keeping a product fresh and ultimately breaking down when you want that process to occur,” he says.

The compostable films, he explains, break down in the presence of moisture, UV light, oxygen and certain microbes. Because of that, when the film is manufactured, the process of breaking down begins as it is exposed to oxygen and humidity.

PBi also offers flat-bottom box pouches and sees it as a growing trend.

Another trend in films is that companies are moving away from fossil fuel and natural gas based polyesters, polypropylene and aluminum foil, and looking into cellulose-based barrier films, as well as polylactic acid (PLA) biodegradable films, Walters explains.

A trend that speaks to both the economically and environmentally conscious brand owner is the use of “down gauged films,” as Mead describes it. People are looking for more lightweight options when it comes to packaging, rather than the bulky packaging of the past.

Similarly, Pellingra and Nuno note that companies are attempting to use less packaging overall by figuring out how to put more product into less packaging.

Digital on the Horizon

PBi believes digital printing will be the trend of the future.

It seems that throughout the printing industry, there is talk of the advantages of digital printing; however, it is still a fresh concept to the world of flexible packaging. Walters says that PBi launched digital pouch printing in December 2015 for production runs under 20,000 bags. He says that digital has really evolved since it was launched — in the beginning it was slow and the inks were expensive — but as the equipment has become more advanced, there is no longer much difference in quality between rotogravure and digital, which may spur a greater trend toward digital in the future.