THE MYTH: Spouted Pouch Packaging is Not Eco-Friendly
THE TRUTH: Many people envision cardboard boxes, paper, and biodegradable materials when they think of green packaging options. Because it’s made of plastic, it may be easy to assume that spouted pouch packaging is not environmentally friendly. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Spouted stand up pouches are a huge environmental advantage and one of the most sustainable forms of packaging on the market. For starters, they’re recyclable. As an R7, spouted pouch packaging can be ground back up and used as filler for plastic lumber, pack benches, bumpers, highway barriers, and more. They also use a mere fraction of the energy of other forms of packaging to make, ship, and store because they use less plastic than rigid containers and pack flat in a pre-filled state. And after use, they also dispose flat, minimizing impact on landfills.
THE MYTH: They’re Only for Liquids
THE TRUTH: Spouted pouch packaging is versatile and not just for liquids (although they’re great for that, too). They’re commonly used for many non-liquid products that come in powder or granular form. Spouted pouches are perfect for salt, sugar, flour, protein powders, birdseed, kitty litter, powdered detergents, pet food pellets/kibble, and more. Flexible packaging allows these products to take up less space as they’re dispensed, eliminating the empty air occupied by a rigid package.
THE MYTH: Flexible Packaging Is Not Durable
THE TRUTH: A thicker plastic exterior is no guarantee that a rigid container can outperform a pouch on barrier strength. Spouted pouches can stand upright like hard containers but also expand without bursting or tearing when filled. The laminated layers of barrier make sure the product stays contained and is only dispensed with the pour spout. Spouted pouch packaging can be safely used for all manner of non-food and potentially hazardous items — even motor oil, gasoline, and pesticides.
THE MYTH: They’re Harder to Fill Than Bottles
THE TRUTH: Liquid products and gels can be famously challenging to package. Spouted pouch packaging is fillable both by hand and automatically. You’ve got options, too. We can supply the pouches with a separate cap, allowing you to fill through the spout, then torque down the cap to seal it up. Or, you could opt for a pouch that has a void in the top (for heat sealing after filling) and the spout and cap already shut tight. The ability to use larger heat-sealable voids in the side of the pouch makes flexible packaging even easier to fill than a bottle, which is limited to the size and shape of the opening in the top.
THE MYTH: They Can’t Replace Large Containers (Like 5-Gallon Buckets)
THE TRUTH: There are spouted pouch packaging options in a wide range of sizes, all the way from tiny single-use sample sizes (perfect for giveaways or hotels) to huge 5-gallon stand up pouches for products like concrete. A large-format spouted pouch can be even more impactful than its smaller cousins. Think about the limited number of 5-gallon buckets you can carefully “Tetris” onto a pallet, and then imagine how many flat-shipped spout pouches could be stacked in the same space as they make their way to the factory for filling. It’s not even the same sport.
THE MYTH: You Need to Commit to a Large Order
THE TRUTH: If spouted pouch packaging is interesting but new to your brand, don’t worry. You don’t need to go all-in on a completely new packaging strategy without a test run. Our factories are perfectly capable of running smaller orders in the 5 to 10 thousand range for test orders, trial runs, samples for trade shows, and other small-batch foot-in-the-door campaigns. Digital printing makes it easy to deploy a small order of fully branded spouted stand up pouches. When you see the results, you’ll be back for more.
Stand Up Pouches is an ABC Packaging company that knows how to help packaging distributors recoup lost margins by escaping the status quo. Call us up today and innovate to win!
