There are many factors that come into play when purchasing products and cementing client loyalty. Package design is just the tip of the iceberg and you can only ensure repeated business if the packaging ensures foods stay fresh, odour free and are easily recyclable. Read on to discover the top five plastic packaging properties you need to know about when selecting product packaging:
PROTECTION DURING TRANSPORT AND STORAGE
Whether you ship products internationally or locally, the plastic packaging you choose must ensure product integrity throughout all steps of transport and storage. A plastic material’s degree of toughness, flexibility and shock absorbency will determine if the packaging is able to withstand impacts and handling.
At SP Group, we offer a wide range of thermoformable rigid materials, and semi-rigid materials for vacuum-packing. These highly transparent and resistant packaging solutions meet sector-specific and evolving market needs. If we consider biscuit and salad trays, we offer the following top options: APET, a rigid material, and rPET, a thermoformable mono-layer film. These materials are made from 100% post-consumer recycled material, 50% of which comes from post-consumption trays. These materials are also 100% recyclable.
PRESERVATION PROPERTIES
Packaging shouldn’t just provide physical protection during the shipping process, it also needs to offer protection against smells, light, oxygen, and ensure water tightness for optimal product conditions. Preservation therefore needs to be top of mind when selecting plastic packaging.
Let us consider packaging for meat and sausage products. These types of products require high-barrier, resealable, pasteurisation-resistant packaging. We offer three solutions that deliver on these requirements:
- SOL EFFICIENT is a slim, eco-efficient packaging solution from the SOL product line.
- RFA is a semi-rigid, coextruded packaging solution that is ideal for vacuum-packed products. It is most often used as the base for other structures, boasting fantastic thermoforming and deep-drawing properties (up to 15 mm).
- APET RESILIENT is the all-star material in the rigid, thermoformable family. This green solution is made from leftover PET material from the manufacturing process.
LIGHT AND COST-EFFECTIVE MATERIALS
When deciding on packaging solutions, it is also important to consider the material’s thickness because of the following significant advantages of thinner films. First, the reduced total cost of production and transportation since the product weighs less. Second, reduced waste. By reducing the amount of raw material used during production, you reduce your environmental footprint.
At SP Group, our innovation and quality assurance departments work in close collaboration to develop new materials, without compromising on preservation and protection properties. We regularly perform laboratory tests to assess friction, stress-strain resistance, delamination strength, and puncture and tear resistance properties of raw materials and final products.
SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
As the need for more sustainable and eco-efficient solutions becomes more evident, the environmental properties plastic packaging solutions offer play an essential role in brand and product positioning. Building a greener future based on circular economy strategies and offering consumers alternative solutions to reduce waste is a shared responsibility.
At SP Group, we are committed to reducing plastic packaging waste and developing new formulas to ensure that the high-value products we manufacture are reusable and offer longer shelf life.
AN EFFECTIVE BEACON OF COMMUNICATION
Lastly, packaging is a key communication beacon, capable of making your product shine amongst the competition and convincing consumers to choose YOUR product. Therefore, it is important to consider your marketing team’s design recommendations and available printing options to showcase your product.
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