Get insights on innovations and future trends in flexible packaging.
Americans were slower than other areas of the world to accept flexible packaging. They saw pouches and bags as floppy and cheap -- until the 1990s gave way to the new millennium, and three trends coincided:
1. Sustainability grew more important to consumers and, hence, to brand owners and retailers -- and flexible packaging offered a lighter-weight alternative to rigid packaging.
2. Flexible packaging manufacturers revved up innovation -- developing new structures, prioritizing usability by adding fitments and dispensers, and touting material savings compared to rigid containers.
3. Economic pressures demanded companies optimize the efficiency of their packaging operations, and switching to flexible packaging vs rigid packaging often reduces the number of steps -- and hence, the number of machines -- on a packaging line.
Over the last several decades, flexible packaging gained positive attention with brands and consumers as story after story of innovative flexible packaging began to flood both the business-to-business and general media.
Now, flexible packaging is the second largest packaging segment in the US, according to the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), behind the #1 sector of paper and paperboard packaging.
Flexible packaging is popular with consumers and product manufacturers today for many reasons:
* Flexible packaging often uses less material than rigid alternatives, leading to lower material costs.
* Lighter and more compact than rigid packaging, flexible packaging reduces transportation costs and fuel consumption, both incoming to manufacturing facilities and outgoing to distribution centers and stores.
* Flexible packaging takes less space in warehouses and, often, on shelves.
2. Flexible packaging offers environmental advantages.
* Flexible packaging generates less waste compared to rigid containers. It also often requires less material and energy to produce.
* The reduced material and energy requirements lead to lower carbon emissions during production and transportation.
* Flexible packaging can be made from sustainable materials like paper and recycled plastics, further enhancing its environmental profile.
3. Flexible packaging preserves and protects products.
* Flexible packaging offers excellent barrier properties against moisture, oxygen, and light, extending the shelf life of products, especially food.
* Flexible packaging can withstand the rigors of shipping and handling, reducing the risk of damage or breakage.
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* Flexible packaging helps maintain the freshness and quality of food products, contributing to food safety and reducing food waste.
4. Flexible packaging is convenient for consumers.
* Flexible packaging is lightweight and easy to carry, making it convenient for consumers.
* Many flexible packaging options feature easy-open and resealable features -- like zippers and sliders, spouts and fitments -- enhancing consumer convenience.
* Flexible packaging can be customized with various shapes, sizes, and features to suit different product needs and brand requirements.
Although it has many advantages, flexible packaging still has its challenges. Let's look at those obstacles, along with explanations of what flexible packaging is, how it is made and used, and where it is going today.
Flexible packaging vs. rigid packaging
One challenge of flexible packaging is that it competes with rigid containers, which seem to be the "default" packages considered for most products. It's almost like companies assume they'll package their product in a bottle, jar, or container -- and then are forced to think of other options, like a pouch.
Part of this "rigid" mindset is because the company might already have products in containers -- so employees have knowledge about and skills for those package formats. It also means the company has packaging machines in their manufacturing facilities that can accommodate production of new products in similar containers with little to no capital investment.
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Additionally, rigid packaging often has an edge when it comes to physical protection, especially for fragile or valuable items.
Before we explain more about flexible packaging, here's a breakdown of the pros and cons of flexible packaging vs. rigid packaging.
What is flexible packaging?
According to the FPA: "A flexible package is a package or container made of flexible or easily yielding materials that, when filled or closed, can be readily changed in shape. They are used for consumer and institutional products and in industrial applications, to protect, market, and distribute a vast array of products. Flexible packaging may be constructed using any combination of the following materials: paper, plastic film, foil; and typically take the shape of a bag, film, lidding, liner, overwrap, pouch, rollstock, sleeve, or wrap."
While flexible packaging can be made with paper, plastic film or foil, one of these is more typically considered "flexible packaging": plastic film. In fact, the terms "flexible packaging" and "film" are often used interchangeably.
While film can vary in thickness, it typically ranges from 0.5 to 5 millimeters (mm or mil = 0.001 inches). Film can also be measured in microns (0.001mm).
The maximum thickness for plastic to still be considered flexible packaging or film (rather than plastic sheet) is debatable, depending on who you ask. However, most flexible packaging professionals agree that 10 mils is the top end of the scale.
The thickness of a flexible package varies depending on the type of plastic used and the number of layers or plies.
What materials are used in flexible film?
Typical plastics, also known as polymers or resins, used to make film for packaging are:
* Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
* Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
* Polystyrene (PS)
* High-impact polystyrene (HIPS)
* Polyethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH)
* High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
* Polypropylene (PP), including biaxially oriented PP or BOPP
* Polyester (PE)
Each material brings certain characteristics to the package, which could be stiffness or pliability, clarity or opaqueness, or barrier or breathability.
The beauty of flexible packaging is that it can be engineered and manufactured to be what you need it to be. Let's say you're selling fresh-cut produce in a bag -- you can ask your film supplier to give you film with anti-fog properties so shoppers can easily see the quality of your product through your clear bag in the wet environment of a produce department in your grocery store.
Barrier is important for any product, but especially so for foods and beverages to keep them fresh and minimize food waste. Consumers don't want to waste food, so packaging must preserve food long enough so it lasts through warehousing, shipping, in-store merchandising, and storage in a home or commissary until it can be consumed.
To ensure products are safe to use and offer a satisfactory shelf life, flexible packaging is often engineered to provide the necessary barrier from:
* Moisture, which can cause mold growth or product spoilage
* Oxygen (gas), which often speeds up spoilage or alters a product's chemical composition and taste
* Static, important when packaging electronics
* Rust, for metal products like hardware
* Light, usually ultraviolet or UV, which can degrade photosensitive substances such as beer
* Microbes, critical for any sterile product like medical devices
Barrier films can also ensure pharmaceuticals maintain their efficacy until they are used. The words are a bit different -- efficacy rather than freshness -- but the concept is the same. You want to maintain product quality until point of use.
One of the reasons flexible packaging is so hard to recycle is that it's often made with a combination of materials in layers. The layers can be glued together (called lamination) or plastic films can be melted (extruded) together in layers (called coextrusion). With multilayer flexible packaging, it is impossible to separate the different materials for recycling.
The different layers provide various performance features. For example, a foil laminate plastic bag prevents oxygen from getting to the product, giving foods and beverages a longer shelf life before the package's first opening.
Sometimes flexible packaging manufacturers add layers or more materials to a structure to give it more stability. A standup pouch, for example, might incorporate a rigid handle inserted and sealed into the film.
Paper-based and foil packaging trends
Although plastic is the most popular material for flexible packaging, it's not the only material. Let's also look at paper and foil.
Paper packaging, rigid and flexible, is surging these days. To be perceived by consumers as more environmentally friendly, many brand owners are trying to reduce their use of plastic, which isn't as widely recycled as paper -- or as easily recycled at curbside.
While much of the plastic-to-paper replacement is going on with rigid packaging, we are seeing developments for flexible packaging, too.
Barrier is tough for paper packaging, and suppliers are looking more at eco-coatings to replace the typical plastic liner. In April 2024, Smart Planet Technologies introduced HyperBarrier, a nanocomposite coating that gives paper-based flexible packaging a massive leap in barrier without ruining curbside recyclability. This allows brands to replace other more expensive barrier options -- EVOH, foil, and metallization. Target markets are foods and beverages -- like coffee and spices -- and other retail products looking for more freshness. But even pharmaceuticals, detergents, pet food, and personal care products can benefit from the enhanced protection.
Then, in February 2025, we reported that packaging manufacturers UPM Specialty Papers and Eastman partnered to create a novel biopolymer-coated paper packaging material for foods requiring grease and oxygen barriers, from confections and baked goods to frozen meals. The coating uses Eastman's bio-based, compostable Solus additives with BioPBS polymer applied to UPM's compostable and recyclable barrier base papers.
It's not just primary packaging that is switching to paper. In June 2024, Amazon made news when it switched to paper cushioning in North America for ecommerce shipments. The paper filler is made from 100% recycled content, can be easily recycled through curbside collection programs, and eliminates nearly 15 billion plastic air pillows annually.
And flexible packaging provider ProAmpac has RP-1050, a recyclable heat-sealable overwrap material that replaces traditional film overwrap and offers a fiber-based curbside recyclable option. While designed for bathroom tissue, paper towels, and feminine care products, it can be used to bundle a range of products.
Tariffs on aluminum are foiling packaging supply
Aluminum foil, because of its excellent barrier properties to oxygen and moisture, is widely used in flexible packaging for foods, pharmaceuticals, and other products needing high barrier.
Over the decades, though, manufacturing of light-gauge aluminum foil has moved out of the United States. Which is why the current trade issues -- antidumping duties and tariffs -- are having such an impact on costs and availability of foil packaging. According to a December 2023 statement by the Flexible Packaging Association, less than 10% of material needs can be met in the US.
With such dependence on imports for packaging-grade aluminum foil, at least one flexible packaging converter has been adding a clause to sales contracts that the price is subject to change based on tariff percentages.
Some brand owners have tried to replace aluminum with alternative high-barrier materials, such as nylon, SiO2 (silicon dioxide), or nanocomposites. But none have the same "shine" as foil for packaging applications.
Flexible packaging applications
Look inside your pantry, freezer, linen closet, or garage. You're likely to see flexible packaging everywhere today.
That's because many products can be put into flexible packaging -- foods, beverages, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, hardware, and more. Food, however, is the most common with about 50% of flexible packaging sales, according to the Flexible Packaging Association.
One category that has recently almost entirely switched from rigid to flexible packaging is baby food. More convenient for parents and kids, spouted pouches are easy to handle and dispense, even by a toddler.
One of the fastest growing areas for flexible packaging, though, is for the healthcare market. Healthcare packaging, in general, is increasing as the global population ages and more people of any age are trying to stay healthier than before. Popular packaging for medical products -- pouches or lidded plastic trays -- are often made of a particular flexible material: Tyvek. Made by DuPont from spunbonded high-density polyethylene fibers, Tyvek is breathable so medical devices and other products can be sterilized through the package.
Regardless of the end-use market, bags or pouches come in a variety of formats or styles:
* Pillow or lay-flat
* Standup (Doyen is one type of standup pouch or SUP)
* Fin seal
* Three-side seal
* Four-side seal
* Flat bottom
* Shaped
* Gusseted (see video)
Many bags or pouches have value-added features, such as dispensing spouts, notches or other easy-open tear-off pull tabs, and recloseable zippers or sliders. And, thanks to retort pouches and steam-in bags, consumers can conveniently heat foods in the microwave without having to transfer the product into another dish.
When it comes to flexible packaging, diverse applications are a strength. Here are a variety of ways film, paper, or foil is used in packaging (see slideshow for images):
Flexible packaging is made in two steps, sometimes by two different companies.
1. First, the plastic resin or polymer -- typically supplied in pellet form, or beads -- is melted and made into a roll of film (rollstock).
2. Second, these rolls of film are then converted (formed) into packages, like premade bags or pouches, or labels.
Film is made in one of two ways: blown or cast. The manufacturing method -- blown or cast -- is one of the ways the material gets its properties and performances.
As the video below explains, blown film develops strength in machine and cross-machine directions, whereas cast film is only strong in the machine direction but has better clarity than its blown film counterpart.
Blown film is made by melting (extruding) plastic pellets and creating a bubble as the material is literally blown up in the air (see video below). Depending on the size of the die the material is blown through, these tubular film bubbles vary in width and rise about two stories. At the top of the bubble, the tube is slit vertically, creating a flat layer, and rolled up.
Cast film for packaging is made by extruding molten polymer through a flat, narrow slit (the die) onto a chilled, polished roll, where it rapidly solidifies into a thin, uniform film. The dimensions of the die, as well as how fast the film is pulled away from it, determines the thickness and width of the final film.
[Speaking of width, a wide roll of film can then be slit into narrower rolls. Wide-web films are used to make bags or pouches; narrow-web films are used to make labels.]
Blown or cast, film can be mono-material or can combine different materials in layers, either through a coextrusion process or through lamination.
What is coextrusion for flexible packaging?
Coextrusion is when different polymers are combined into a single film by layering them together during the extrusion process for either blown or cast methods. The multiple polymer melts are fed simultaneously through a single die, creating a multi-layered film with each layer having specific performance attributes. Structures can be from, say, 3 to 15 layers depending on the properties needed for a specific application.
This is where a lot of the "package engineering" happens to make a film that has the barrier, clarity, or strength needed for the application.
What is lamination of flexible packaging?
Lamination is another way to combine layers of materials -- already wound into rolls -- to create an engineered final structure. This is usually a secondary operation, done on equipment in the same or a different facility. The different layers are held together with adhesive/cohesive or tie layers. Tie layers are specialized polymer resins that act as adhesives, bonding dissimilar materials (like barrier films and structural films) together during lamination. They make materials adhere that don't stick together naturally. Like chewing gum between pieces of paper.
What is delamination of flexible packaging?
Delamination is when the layers of a laminated flexible package start separating. This is not supposed to happen! If it does, that means the flexible packaging was not made right and the lamination process failed.
What is metallization of flexible packaging?
Depositing a micro-thin layer of aluminum (foil) on film creates a metallized structure. This drastically improves the oxygen (gas) and moisture (water) barrier properties of a package, also measured as WVTR (water vapor transmission rate) or MVTR (moisture vapor transmission rate).
Metallization also adds a graphic flair to flexible packages with its shiny reflective surface that catches the consumer's eye. And we know how important the look of a package is in "selling" the product inside.
How is flexible packaging printed?
Like any packaging, flexible packaging protects its contents as it travels from A to B. But it also helps promote and market products to consumers or other users, like healthcare professionals. That's where graphics and packaging design come in.
Some flexible packages have labels applied, but the vast majority are direct printed.
Because plastic film is a non-porous surface, though, it needs to be "treated" to accept or hold inks -- otherwise the inks would slide right off. There are four surface technologies to treat the surface: corona, plasma, flame and ozone.
Each technology has its benefits (see video below). Corona treatment is most widely used because it is economical, effective, and easily integrated with printing systems. However, plasma cleans as well as treats; flame is more stable than corona and runs at high line speeds; and ozone is becoming increasingly popular due to rising consumer demand for "greener" food additives and there is increasing consensus that ozone is an environmentally advantageous technology.
Now that the film is ready for printing, let's look at your decorating options.
Films can be printed on a flexographic, rotogravure, digital, screen, offset, or hybrid press.
The most common way to print flexible packaging is on a flexographic or flexo press. According to Straits Research: "The flexography segment is the leading contributor to the flexible packaging market. This printing method employs three types of inks: solvent-based, water-based, and ultraviolet-cured. Solvent-based inks are commonly used for most flexible packaging substrates due to their effective adhesion and wetting properties. Flexographic printing is favored for its cost-efficiency, which is characterized by low labor costs, minimal press footprint, and reduced energy requirements."
In the last couple of decades, digital printing for flexible packaging has risen substantially in market share because it allows brands to stand out and connect with consumers on a more individual level. How? By leveraging personalized and customized packaging designs, which digital printers can easily create and change.
Print Industry News expects an even more explosive growth rate for flexible packaging moving forward. Compared to a healthy annual growth rate of 11% between 2020 and 2027 for digital printing in general, and an impressive 32% growth for folding cartons, digital printing for flexible packaging is forecasted to experience a spectacular growth rate of 63% over the same period. "However ... this growth is starting from a relatively low base, and ... challenges remain, particularly in terms of durability and food contact," according to Print Industry News.
To protect graphics from scuffing or other wear, film is often reverse printed, meaning the graphics are printed upside down on the inside of the top, transparent layer. Or the film is surface printed for "right reading" but buried by another clear layer on top.
Flexible packaging is a challenge to handle because the film is so pliable. That means it can stretch or otherwise get misaligned during printing or packaging if not properly controlled. Depending on the packaging application, film can be printed with a repeating pattern of words or graphics. With continuous print like this, the salient information still appears in full, even if parts are cut off or the package is distorted. Or flexible packaging printers can register the graphics so they are precisely positioned, which is what happens for most pouches or bags.
How are products filled into bags or pouches?
Once a roll of film is made, and perhaps printed, it's time to create a package to put a product into.
Sometimes the packages are formed in advance by flexible packaging converters. These are called premade bags or pouches. These formed packs can be supplied fully separated or still attached and rolled up. One such example is bags-on-a-roll (see video below).
Alternatively, packages can be made and filled in a single operation from a roll of film. This is called a form-fill-seal (FFS) operation.
In either case -- premade or FFS -- flexible packaging converters or brand owners can also add fitments, spouts, or zippers to give packs a "reclose" feature (see video below of a zipper being added).
Product is either loaded into bags and pouches by hand (manually) or by machine (automatically) and then sealed.
Sealing is typically done with heat and pressure. An alternative technology is ultrasonic sealing, which uses vibration (friction) to generate heat to create a weld (see video below). One benefit of ultrasonic sealing is it creates a hermetic seal between two surfaces even if product is in the way. This allows companies to fill bags or pouches with little to no headspace (empty air), saving film, cutting material costs, and minimizing the overall environmental footprint.
Sometimes flexible packages are altered as they are filled and sealed to add or remove a gas. This is done to extend the product's shelf life, mostly for foods and beverages.
* Modified atmosphere packaging adds nitrogen and/or carbon dioxide to the headspace of a package (see video below).
* Vacuum packaging removes air from a food package as it is being sealed (see video below).
Learn more about machinery to fill flexible packaging by reading "Chapter 3: Flexible Packaging" in the Packaging Machinery Handbook by John R. Henry, Owner of Changeover.com. It covers bagging machines, vertical form-fill-seal systems, horizontal flow wrappers, horizontal pouch fillers, thermoformers, wrappers, and bundlers.
Other automation concerns when handling films or flexible packaging
A packaging material's coefficient of friction (COF), or slip resistance, significantly impacts packaging line speed, with lower COF (more slip) generally allowing for faster and smoother operation, while higher COF can cause issues like jams or reduced speed. Flexible packaging has high slip, compared to paper, for example. And because films can stretch, they need to be properly handled on a packaging machine to minimize any distortion.
Additionally, when in motion, films generate static, which can cause handling and electrical issues. Static eliminators use ionizing air to wash across the web, which neutralizes static buildup and helps prevent films from sticking, attracting dust, and sealing poorly.
But sometimes you want films to stick. Blown or cast films -- for stretch-wrapping pallet loads, for example -- have natural cling properties. Some stretch films have one-sided cling, and others have two-sided cling. This stickiness means you don't need adhesive on pallet wrap film because it will stay in place on its own and won't unwrap.
The sustainability edge of flexible packaging
Compared to other packaging formats -- rigid packaging especially -- flexible packaging has a sustainability edge because of its lighter weight. Product-to-package ratio has often been used as an efficiency and cost calculation and flexible packaging scores high in this regard. As the United States sees more extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws, this calculation will likely help brand owners (producers) reduce EPR fees. That's important to remember because, despite the many benefits of flexible packaging, it does not score well for recycling because it's often made of layers of different materials that can't easily be separated. And recyclability is a prime component of EPR programs.
Recycling challenges for flexible packaging
However, in the US, a limited number of films and flexible packaging is accepted for recycling through store drop-off programs. You may have seen these bins at your local grocery store. While disposable plastic shopping bags make up a large percentage of collected material, store drop-off programs also accept other mono-material flexible packaging like polyethylene bread bags and shrink film used for multipack bundling.
Brands can print the How2Recycle label or the How2Compost label on their flexible packaging to give consumers instructions on how to dispose of the material. (These labels, created and managed by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, can be used on any package, not just flexible packaging.)
And while there is a lot of interest in and development of compostable flexible packaging, the infrastructure for commercial composting facilities in the US that also accept compostable packaging materials is skeletal. Even if flexible packaging materials were compostable, the likelihood of them being composted is low.
Despite the difficulties of recycling a multi-material package, efforts continue to improve the recyclability of films and flexible packaging. Among the tactics of making flexible packages "recycle ready" are making more mono-material structures that still provide some barrier properties. The difference between a "recyclable" package and one that is just "recycle ready" is ... the recyclable one is collected, sorted and recycled in specific regions in specific quantities. Recycle-ready packages could be -- but aren't yet.
Advanced recycling: A solution for flexible packaging waste
Mechanical recycling is tricky for flexible packaging because of the many complex structures, as we've already said. But there's a newer solution for recycling flexible packaging: Advanced recycling, also known as molecular or chemical recycling.
Four different technologies -- pyrolysis, gasification, hydro-cracking, and depolymerization -- take waste plastics, even mixed or contaminated materials, and break them down to their original building blocks. From there, companies can then create new materials, even food-grade flexible packaging.
Compostable vs. recyclable: What's best for flexible packaging?
Packaging development engineers might wonder, for flexible packaging, which is more effective: biodegradable or recyclable materials? Neither is more effective from a technology and infrastructure point of view. But either scenario should be considered based on the application. For example, pouches holding food might be better suited to be compostable because organic food remnants would be beneficial for compostability but detrimental for recycling.
End-of-life options for flexible packaging
Because many flexible packages often contain multiple materials and complex structures, all end-of-life options should be considered.
Like what else besides being recyclable or compostable? Even though the majority of flexible packages are single use, we see reusable bags in some sectors, like bulk packaging. Where else could reusability be considered? See an example on Slide 8 of the slideshow "9 Sustainable Packaging Stars" about reusable storage solutions.
Then there's incineration. Flexible packaging usually burns hot, which generates high BTUs or energy. (BTU, or British Thermal Unit, is a measure of the heat content of fuels or energy sources.) And while waste-to-energy isn't the best environmental solution, it's better than sending material that still has some value to the landfill.
One area of sustainability where flexible packaging shines is for product refills. The idea of buying one rigid bottle of, say, window cleaner, and then refilling the bottle from a small pouch with concentrated product saves overall carbon footprint compared with buying bottles all the time.
Future innovations and trends in flexible packaging
We are likely to see more product categories switch from rigid to flexible packaging in the future because of its versatility for brands and popularity with consumers. The market size for global flexible packaging was nearly $193 billion in 2024, according to Straits Research. The firm estimates a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.15% through 2033, when the market value is expected to reach more than $278 billion.
Award-winning examples of flexible packaging innovation
We see examples of flexible packaging's versatility in these five entries that won for Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging in FPA's 2025 Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards:
1. Preserve toothbrush pouches won a Gold Award. This recyclable flexible package expands into a new category that traditionally uses paperboard-backed plastic blisters. It's printed digitally on both sides for a small but impactful billboard.
2. ProAmpac spouted pouch for Ortho Home Defense insecticide won a Gold Award. Pesticides are often only in rigid containers. This winning pouch gives consumers an easy-to-handle alternative that's also resealable, has great shelf appeal, and generates less waste.
3. Cargill Truvia sweetener all-polyethylene spouted standup pouch won a Silver Award. Aligning with the APR Design Guide for PE films, this lightweight and user-friendly pouch overcomes the challenges of matching the melting points of the PE laminate to the hard spout for successful bonding.
4. Myfitness Rolled Oats 5-panel, 1-kilogram zipper pouch won a Silver Award. This 5-panel zipper pouch with a unique printing design and premium matte coat effect is thoughtfully designed to protect the natural flavors from moisture and oxygen ingress.
5. HiPPiE Organics Organic Asparagus bag won a Silver Award. A combination of a bright and happy design with beautiful print elevates the consumer appeal of HiPPiE Organics' compostable bag.
Top trends and technologies in flexible packaging
Moving forward, look for further innovation in flexible packaging in these areas:
* Recyclability -- Brands will continue to focus on designing flexible packaging that is easily recyclable and/or incorporates recycled content.
* "Paperization" -- Brands will continue to consider shifting from traditional plastic packaging to paper-based alternatives to reduce plastic waste and lower their carbon footprint.
* Source reduction -- Brands will continue to focus on minimizing materials through thinner films, smaller packs that cut material consumption, and rigid-to-flexible switches.
* Eco-friendly materials -- The flexible packaging industry is moving towards using more environmentally friendly materials (like bioplastics made from mushrooms or seaweed, for example), recycled content, and paper-based alternatives.
* New technologies or structures -- Manufacturers and brand owners continue to innovate by engineering new materials. One new material innovation involves the addition of graphene to create film that is ultrathin yet strong. Film manufacturer Packseven is rolling out the world's first commercial polyethylene stretch film made with Gerdau's graphene masterbatch that reduces virgin resin use by 15% to 30%. Graphene is an exceptionally strong material featuring an atomic monolayer of carbon atoms arranged hexagonally in a honeycomb-like structure. When blended with plastics, graphene strengthens the polymer matrix. It improves puncture resistance; increases barrier properties against liquids and gasses; protects against weather, oxidation, and ultraviolet light; and boosts electrical and thermal conductivity.
* Food Safety -- Consumers, regulators, and thus brands will make sure packaging protects food quality and extends shelf life, without worries about "chemicals of concern" migrating into the product. Over the decades, regulators, packaging manufacturers, brand owners, and consumers have attacked and addressed chemicals of concern such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in packaging, including flexible packaging.
* Digital Printing -- In flexible packaging, digital printing is gaining traction for its speed, flexibility, ability to easily customize designs (such as for seasonal products or artisan goods), and capability to handle short runs and variable data (such as quick response or QR codes that enhance functionality and traceability). It also offers sustainability benefits by reducing waste and energy consumption compared to traditional printing methods. Some manufacturers are combining digital and flexographic printing in a hybrid approach.
For example, the Comexi D4 and SCREEN Truepress PAC series (see video below) offer high-resolution printing with piezo drop-on-demand printheads, enabling photorealistic images and exceptional print quality.
And in 2026, W&H will be introducing a hybrid printer that allows up to seven digital inkjet and four flexo printing units to be arranged around a central cylinder. According to the company: "The flexo units allow the application of flexo white, primer, OPV, or spot colors, offering cost advantages by using less expensive flexo inks as needed. Reverse and surface printing are possible, with the center cylinder always ensuring maximum register accuracy. The piezo drop-on-demand inkjet technology enables photorealistic resolutions of brilliant 1,200 dpi."
* Ecommerce -- The growth of ecommerce is driving the demand for flexible packaging that is lightweight, durable, and easy to ship. Hermetic seals on flexible packaging are naturally leak free, which is a benefit for shipping through the small-parcel environment where packages end up in any orientation, not just upright like in a contained pallet load.
Learn more about flexible packaging
The more you know about flexible packaging, the better you'll be able to decide if it's right for your products. Knowing your options allows you to find the best flexible packaging solution and manufacturing partners for your specific needs.