Sugar packaging has come a long way since the time when it was packaged in heavy and cumbersome barrels. Over the centuries, barrels made way to cotton sacks, then to corrugated boxes, and ultimately to today's vast array of custom printed sugar packaging styles. Cardboard boxes and stand up pouches are two popular methods to package sugar. In this post, we will see how they compete against each other:

Presence in the market: Winner - Cardboard boxes

The use of stand up bags in sugar packaging is probably a decade old. The industry has been using cardboard boxes for much longer; so cardboard sugar packaging is the winner in the seniority game. More moms and dads will expect to find sugar in cardboard boxes in their local supermarket than packaging for sugar in pouch bags.

Cost: Winner - Stand up bags

If cardboard boxes have age on their side, stand up bags offer a stiff competition in what matters the most in today's fierce capitalistic world - cost. A custom printed stand up pouch costs less than half of a folded cardboard box. Manufacturers have a compelling reason to experiment with plastic bags.

Ease of storage and visibility: Winner - Stand up bags

Stand up pouches for sugar come with several accessories and features. Gusseted bags can stand erect on a store shelf, and bags with hang holes can be hung on hooks. This versatility makes them easier to store; especially if a supermarket is running out of shelf space. Bags can be taken out of shelves and still remain visible. Hanging boxes, however, is not a common scene.

Art work and product information: Winner - Stand up bags

It is easier to customize artwork on stand up pouches for sugar than on a cardboard box. Stand up bags have a large front and back area which can carry artwork and product information with ease. A disadvantage of cardboard sugar packaging is that you have to rotate it to see what is on the box.

Ease of use: Winner - Stand up bags

Tear notches, spouts, hang holes, and other accessories make stand up bags very user friendly. Manufacturers have more freedom to play with accessories on stand up bags than on cardboard boxes.

Shape: Winner - Stand up bags

Unlike cardboard boxes which all have a drab cuboid shape, stand up bags can be made to look like virtually anything. Manufacturers can make their packaging unique to increase product recognition and for brand building.

The verdict: In granulated sugar packaging, stand up pouches beat cardboard boxes by a healthy margin of 6:1.