Biodegradable packaging. Most consumers have heard the term and many believe they know what it means. But do they? Despite increasing public concern about the environment, do people know which packaging materials are biodegradable? And is biodegradable packaging the only type that is environmentally friendly? Stand up pouches offer a good way to examine these issues.

First, let's be clear: Stand up pouches are generally not a form of biodegradable packaging. While many packaging materials made of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) are biodegradable, they require a great deal of time and certain specific conditions in order to actually biodegrade in a landfill. Materials that do biodegrade are made of such things as paper, starch, wood pulp, potato, cotton, sugar beet, corn, to name but a few. However, although stand up pouches aren't made of these materials, it doesn't mean that they are bad for the environment.

Each stand up pouch is made via a very energy-efficient process whereby multiple layers of special film are laminated together to form a barrier bag that protects contents from vapor, odor, moisture, air, pests and/or light, depending on what the particular product needs. Of relevance to our discussion is the fact that although stand up pouches are made from multiple film layers, they actually take up to 12 percent less film to construct than most other packaging bags.

Less material ultimately generates less waste, of course, but there is another environmental benefit as well. Less material means less weight which means that less fuel per unit is consumed to transport stand up pouches.

The environmental impact of stand up pouches is decreased as well by the bag design. Flexible enough to store conveniently, each pouch is durable and puncture-resistant, strong enough to function as protective packaging without the need for any supplemental material. No inner liner or outer box, bag, carton, canister or other container is necessary, thereby eliminating the cost and consumption of energy normally associated with the manufacture, transportation, storage and/or disposal of extra packaging.

Stand up pouches: Proof that not only biodegradable packaging is environmentally friendly.