Plastics are widely used in flexible packaging because of the unique combination of benefits they offer. These include:\n\n

Shelf life extension and Hygiene: Lack of food and food waste are two of the biggest problems facing the planet at the moment. The use of plastics to protect valuable foodstuffs allows the extension of it's shelf life. With modified atmosphere packaging made from plastics, shelf life can be increased from 5 to 10 days, allowing food loss in stores to be reduced from 16% to 4%. The materials used, both plastics raw materials and additives, fulfill all food safety legislation at national and European Union levels.

Plastics packaging is ideal for packaging other items too, such as industrial products and pharmaceuticals. Packaging reduces the chances of these products being damaged in transit, the impact of weathering (e.g UV radiation etc) and keeps them in a controlled environment.

Safety and Security: Flexible plastics packaging is shatterproof preventing dangerous shards being produced when they are dropped. Polymers commonly used in packaging carry a broad suite of approvals to give producers and end users confidence in the safety of products contained within. Plastics packaging can be produced and used with tamper-evident and child resistant closures. The transparency of the pack enables users to examine the condition of the goods prior to purchase.

Design Freedom: The properties of the materials combined with the array of processing technologies employed in the industry, ranging from blown and cast film extrusion, coating, injection and blow moulding through to thermoforming, enable the production of a limitless number of pack shapes and configurations. The extensive range of colouring possibilities, and ease of printing and decorating facilitate brand identification and information for the consumer.

Light Weight: Plastics packaging items are low in weight but high in strength. This means products packed in plastics are easy to lift and handle by consumers and by personnel in the distribution chain as well as offering the associated environmental benefits of stripping weight out of the supply chain.

Durability: The long polymer chains which make up plastic materials make them exceptionally resiliant and difficult to break.

Sustainability: Despite all of the benefits listed above, the packaging industry is under increasing scrutiny to reduce it's environmental impact. Ultrapolumers can help reach your sustainability goals through design and material selection. With a wide range of sustainable material solutions from suppliers such as Ravago, Ultrapolymers can guide you to a suitable material for your product. \n\n

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