It is unfortunate that the flexible packaging industry has been under tremendous pressure to improve its image because countries (United States included), states, and communities have failed to find more opportunities to recycle and reuse the laminated plastic used in many barrier films for retail and industrial applications.

Laminated plastic to package foods and liquids really could and should be applauded for reducing the amount of packaging used, while also keeping their contents fresher for longer…but pictures of floating plastic trash are everywhere and certainly top-of-mind for young and old consumers alike.

When laminated plastic is disposed of, it can be ground back up into tiny pellets or “regrind” and used in making other plastic products. However, many people aren’t aware that pre-Covid China bought upwards of 85% of the US ground-up plastic pellets. When the US and China started squawking about PPE supplies and global trading at the beginning of the pandemic, China stopped buying our recycled plastic and the US was caught with a massive amount of excess plastic garbage.

Why is this unfortunate? The perception may be that plastic is the scourge of society, but in reality, there are situations where laminated plastic is the only affordable option to not only contain certain products but protect them and even help…you read this right…help our environment.

We are all for innovative materials that break down and biodegrade. However, there aren’t many current options that can withstand the rigors of shipping/handling while attracting customers with bold, bright, photographic-quality printing and also saving on costs. We are all for helping the environment, but no one (even the largest Fortune 50 companies) can afford to pay double and triple the price over current packaging.

What often goes overlooked, however, are the truly sustainable examples where laminated films drastically reduce the volume of packaging currently being used and/or reduce the amount of energy it takes to produce the packaging itself…even to ship it, move it, and store it.

Filling A Need

Think about this for a second: Covid hits, companies either close or freeze production, schools close and kids are home from school…what are they going to do? They’ve got to eat, they’ve got to drink, and if anyone knows squat about the US consumer, it's that they don't want to go without anything…ever. They don’t want to go without their soda, their beer, their sparkling water…whatever it is, consumers bought food and beverages during lockdown (and beyond) at record levels.

Why is this important? Many of the components used to package our food and beverages come from overseas…or parts of them do. We all know Covid is a global crisis, so when overseas factories couldn’t make/produce/ship critical materials to make aluminum cans, glass bottles, rigid containers, etc., shortages started to appear. And when shortages appear, so do opportunities.

Enter Breathable Film that can not only hold liquids but carbonated liquids like beer and soda. The film can be made to hold carbonated beverages while slowly releasing only some of the carbonation (keeping most of it so the consumer still has the fizz they know and love about their favorite beverage).

The Beer-Soda Pouch can hold draft beer, sparkling cider, and carbonated beverages like Coke and Pepsi. Because they are made with a laminated barrier film, much thinner and stronger than people realize, they can hold 2, 3, or even 4-liter quantities of liquid while taking up a fraction of the space of traditional packaging.

Available Features:

• Beer-Soda pouches can have a handle, pour spout, bottom gussets, and even spigot spouts (should that be something a customer requires…like a draft tap on a keg).

Benefits:

• Use 85% less plastic and material than existing packaging. Take up 95% less room to ship and store. Requires a fraction of the energy to make/create than traditional packaging like glass and rigid plastic.

Eco-Friendly Information:

• The Beer-Soda Pouch is recyclable…as an R7. Can be ground back up and used as filler for other products like park benches, plastic lumber, kids toys, and construction barriers and bumpers. Click Here to see!
  
  The Beer-Soda Pouch ships flat, stores flat, uses up to 95% less material to create and energy to produce…all saving the world’s resources. The Beer-Soda Pouch is a Sustainable Example a company could be proud of. See Pictures Here (link or drop in pictures)

Printing-Graphics:

• The Beer-Soda Pouch can be printed up to 10 colors, front, back, even the bottom gusset

Available Spouts:

• The Beer-Soda pouch can have any number of stock spouts….up to and including 33mm round.

Minimum Runs:

• 1000 pieces.

• The Beer-Soda pouch is filled through the spout/cap area.