What is flexible packaging?

Flexible packaging has grown in use over the last few decades and it is now one of the most widely used forms of packaging, particularly for food products because of its ability to provide protection and on-shelf appeal in a highly cost-competitive way.

The basic purpose of a flexible packaging is to provide protection (including structural integrity, barrier, sealing and adhesion) and promotion (which may include aesthetics, printability, and so on).

One peculiarity of flexible packaging is its freedom of shape; the flexible packages are manufactured in many shapes and forms, which can be also different in type such as basic wrappings or sealed trays light bottles or multilayer pouches.

In multilayer films, a specific combination of materials is selected to meet the functional requirements in the most economical manner. Often materials used in flexible packaging provide more than one function. For example, high density polyethylene (HDPE) in a cereal liner bag-in box structure provides stiffness, puncture resistance, and moisture barrier.

PE films can take the form of a homopolymer polyethylene film or a polyethylene copolymer. PE film is used either as a single web film or the film can be a component layer in a laminated structure.
What is flexible packaging?