Film is one of the most widely used packaging materials, especially flexible film, but what are the characteristics that make it so convenient and reliable?
First and foremost, film packaging combines the main properties of a good packaging material: strength, insulating capacity and the very high potential for customisation due to its excellent print performance. All these qualities can be traced back to the concept of flexibility, which is manifested in various ways: from the combination of materials, to the easy application of seals and accessories to create packaging in a wide range of shapes and formats.
Today we will take a detailed look at the features of this material that can be adapted to many uses thanks to the advantages of its components.
Materials
Currently, the most commonly used films are the result of laminating different layers composed of different polymers, each with its own specific functional properties.
For example, certain films, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, are preferred in the preservation of delicate and easily perishable products, particularly foodstuffs. This preference has several reasons. First of all, plastics are the most reliable in creating a barrier effect, i.e. they have a greater protective capacity than most other materials due to their chemical-physical properties: compared to packaging such as glass, cardboard, aluminium, plastic is more effective in insulating against light, heat and air.
The alternative to multi-material films is the monomaterial film. This is a more sustainable solution that can replace multi-material films. It is made of polymers of the same class and therefore more easily recyclable to create a true circular economy: the polymer after having become a 'container film' can once again become a polymer to be used in other applications.
In the following, we will analyse each of the components that together make up the multi-material films and the PP that is used for the single-material recyclable film.
PP
Polypropylene is the most commonly used film in plasticisation. It has excellent optical characteristics, is resistant and has good transparency. It is permeable to oxygen. It provides excellent colour and tactile performance in gloss, matt and soft touch finishes. Polypropylene is used in a single layer or laminated with other materials. It is characterised by high tensile strength, high ductility, low density, and has excellent thermal and abrasion resistance.
PET
Polyester is a stronger film than PP, is more transparent and has a lower oxygen permeability. Its characteristic 'glassiness' provides structure and strength to the packaging. It is ideal for food packaging because, for example, it can support sterilisation heat treatments or storage at freezing temperatures.
PE
Polyethylene is a softer and more flexible film than both polypropylene and polyester. It is slightly less transparent than PP, permeable to oxygen and is particularly suitable for food contact.
EVOH
EVOH has good barrier properties against oxygen and other gases. It is often laminated with PE or PP to achieve good levels of water or water vapour resistance and oxygen permeability. It is used in food packaging to extend shelf life and protect against spoilage.
As we mentioned earlier, multi-material film combines several materials by adding the advantages of each. Flexible packaging is therefore highly resistant, impermeable to oxygen, moisture and water vapour, preventing physical and biological degradation.
Packstyle's mono-material film, on the other hand, despite exploiting only the characteristics of PP polypropylene, is very resistant and waterproof, while gaining a high degree of sustainability: among plastic solutions, mono-material film packaging is certainly the easiest to handle in the disposal phase and has the least impact on the environment as it is entirely recyclable.
Packaging Film Applications
In the packaging sector, there are many applications for the film plastic. Throughout the history of our company, these pouches have been ordered for the most diverse uses, but their protective characteristics are particularly suitable for containing the most delicate products, first and foremost foodstuffs. In fact, they guarantee optimal preservation of dry and non-dry foods for more than 6 months at room temperature. They can then be heated up to 70°C for up to 2 hours and up to 100°C for up to 15 minutes.
By preventing the infiltration of moisture, oxygen and carbon dioxide, they best preserve the crispness of products or the aroma of coffee or the fragrances of herbs or inflorescences, keeping them unaltered. They are therefore suitable for products that have volatile or easily changeable characteristics.
The services and accessories can increase the packaging's occasions of use, its durability and life thanks to the adaptability of the material and its flexibility. Packstyle's proposal offers solutions in different sizes, from single-dose pouches to family sizes. Since a re-sealable zip can be applied, the film pouch can be used several times, or used as a refill.
As well as being capable of storage for delicate foods such as coffee and cheese, the plastic film pouch is safe for storing liquids. A convenient, innovative, curious and therefore successful way to contain and consume drinks, soaps and beverages.
In addition to its protective qualities on the inside, plastic film also has interesting qualities on the outside: the film allows precise and vivid printing, making it an excellent ally for communication. The packaged product can be displayed on shelves and decorate spaces with high quality, attractive, lively or refined graphics. Not only that, the character and personality of the pouches and their contents can be emphasised with additional visual and tactile sensations provided by the finish: glossy, for a gritty packaging, matt finish for a refined result, and soft touch for an interesting effect in the hand.
Finally, for those who want to give even more character to their creation, a window can be placed in the plastic material, even in the recyclable one: they can be made in the most imaginative shapes and sizes, creating interesting and completely unique transparency effects.
Our film pouches, multi-material or single-material, guarantee optimal and space-saving storage, avoiding waste and spoilage. They are the result of ongoing research and are designed to meet the needs of informed and aware consumers that lead us to favour an increasingly circular economy model.
Despite the fact that film is sometimes demonised in its multi-material version, we always like to remind ourselves that, as we wrote in a previous article Truth and falsehood: plastic and sustainability in flexible packaging, flexible packaging is in itself a sustainable choice, considering its characteristics of lightness, halving the amount of material, ease of transport and disposal.
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