Packaging
Packaging comes in many forms. It is very much part of our everyday lives and is used for a wide variety of purposes.
Packaging and its many uses
Polythene packaging is used for everything from storage to branding and from protection to maintaining hygiene. It takes on all sorts of shapes and sizes, from the finest film display bags used to make products look special, through to thick plastic sheeting used on building sites or in home decoration to protect surfaces.
Good quality packaging can be made from a vast array of regular or biodegradable polythene, designed to perfectly suit the job that the packaging is designed to carry out - and that’s a long list of jobs.
Packaging is used to keep food fresh, to keep products dry, to carry our shopping, to post our mail, to collect our rubbish, to keep our clothes free from dust and dirt, to protect items in storage or transit and much, much more.
Plastic packaging is used in every walk of life, from the home to the workplace. It has become such an integral part of 21st century life, that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without it.
Types of packaging
Listing every type of packaging would take a very long time so, instead, here is a list of some of the most commonly-used types of packaging.
Carrier bags
Polythene carriers are used by millions of shoppers to carry their shopping home. Made from clear or coloured polythene with a variety of handle styles - including patch, vest, clip close and grip seal handles - and with biodegradable or starch-based compostable alternatives.
Waste bags
Waste bags do the dirty work of the polythene packaging world. Designed for office, home, garden or workplace to suit a variety of tasks, from cheap ultra-light black sacks to heavy duty rubble bags and clear polythene sacks to printed specialist hazardous waste bags.
Display bags
Made from crystal clear polypropylene - a high clarity, eco-friendly and cheap alternative to cellophane - display bags provide a fantastic way to display products for sale. Flower sleeves, greeting card bags, sweet bags and header bags all make their products sparkle!
Mailing bags
Strong, lightweight and waterproof mailing bags offer a fantastic solution to any personal or company mailing needs. Perfect for regular post or courier delivery, mailers are easy to use with an in-built adhesive strip. Range includes coloured mailers, printed mailers, heavy duty mailers, high security mailers and padded mailers.
Bubble packaging
The most popular protective packaging is bubble wrap - polythene sheets consisting of lots of tiny bubbles that protect items when wrapped around them. Perfect for keeping fragile items safe in transit or storage. Available in a range of sizes and also pre-made into bubble bags.
Food bags
Food bags are used for the display, storage and transportation of food. Commonly found in markets, supermarkets and food stores, food bags allow customers to keep their food fresh and separate from other food as they transport it home.
Plastic sheeting
Plastic sheeting, also known as builders rolls, is very popular in the building trade. Available on the roll in various sizes and thicknesses of polythene, plastic sheeting folds out to cover large areas and protect surfaces from the possible damage that occurs on building sites and during house renovations.
Printed packaging
Maximise your company’s branding opportunities with your own tailor-made packaging, designed with your company logo, colour scheme and/or marketing messages. Printed carrier bags and printed mailing bags are the two most popular solutions to give your business that extra touch of professionalism.
What people are saying about Plastic Packaging
Synopsis of Flexible Plastic Packaging Market
Flexible plastic packaging is growing because it suits fast-moving food and drink lines where shelf life, part control and handling efficiency matter. Film and small-format packs are easier to occupy, seal and dispatch than heavier rigid packs, so processours can dash them at speed and cut transport weight as well. Rising demand for prepared meals, snacks and bottled drinks pushed by higher disposable income has strengthened that trend, particularly where consumers want convenience above cooking from scratch. The format works optimal when gauge, seal quality and puncture resistance are matched to the product, because weak specification soon leads to leaks, returns and wasted stock.
Recycled packaging works optimal when the board grade, glue line and cut quality are all matched to the job rather than treated as a generic substitute. Recycled fibre can transport heavy loads and keep safe products well, nevertheless only if the material is specified with the needed strength, stiffness and moisture resistance for the route it will travel. Warehouse teams also feel the contrast, because a carton that folds cleanly and stacks squarely speeds picking and reduces handling damage. Good recycled packaging is so not simply about utilising recovered fibre; it is about selecting a format that grasps up from converting line to last delivery.
Full expert analysis on this fast-moving market can be found in The Future of Rigid Plastic Packaging to 2022. For more information, download the brochure here.
Plastic packaging now has to be designed with stop-of-life in mind, not only how it sees on the shelf. A lighter pack can save resin, cut transport weight and reduce waste, nevertheless that only works if the structure still protects the product and survives filling, stacking and shopping handling. Thin films and bottles also need the proper material selection, because a package that is technically recyclable nevertheless manufactured from mixed layers can cause trouble for sorting and reprocessing. Better specification at the beginning normally means less rejects, less scrap and a cleaner route into recycling systems.
Recycled Packaging Material Market: Intense Competition nevertheless High Growth & Extreme Valuation
Recycled packaging grows when buyers, converters and emblem owners can trust the supply to behave like a proper production material, not a doubtful substitute. The proper test is whether recovered fibre, recycled board or reclaimed polymer can still dash cleanly on the machine, grasp print, and survive warehouse time without turning soft, cracked or uneven. Good sorting at the recovery stage and tight control of pollution make the contrast between usable stock and troublesome rejects. That is why material selection has to be linked to line speed, sealing performance and handling damage, otherwise the savings vanish in lost output and complaints.
Flexible (Converted) Plastic Packaging Market Report our telephone
Rigid plastic packaging retains products protected and handleable, nevertheless its proper value relies on selecting the proper resin for the job. PET, PP and HDPE each behave differently on the line and in use: one may give better clarity for display, another better impact resistance, and another more chemical resistance for household products. That selection affects moulding conditions, stackability, tamper resistance and how well bottles or jars survive transport without scuffing or cracking. In a warehouse, a well-specified rigid pack also improves pallet stability and reduces handling damage. A sound material selection saves rework and returns later on.
Woolies turns to recycled packaging
Retailers can cut packaging weight fast by switching daily food packs to recycled packaging, nevertheless the change only works when the new material still runs cleanly on the line and protects the product in transit. Cardboard sleeves with a high recycled paper content are a superb example because they use less virgin fibre while still giving enough stiffness for printing, stacking and shelf presentation. The trick is not only selecting recycled content, nevertheless checking whether the board grade grasps its shape, accepts glue properly and survives warehouse handling without scuffing or crushing. That balance retains waste down without creating packaging faults that display up later in dispatch or on shelf.
Where can I buy packaging?
Manufacturers and suppliers of packaging include:
Buy Packaging
Online store offering a wide range of polythene and alternative packaging. Buy direct from manufacturers at discounted prices and receive free delivery in the UK. You can also order bespoke packaging to suit your specific needs.
www.buypackaging.co.uk
Discount Poly Bag
Big UK polythene packaging company division dedicated to poly bags and plastic packaging offering excellent products at competitive prices. Poly bags sold direct from the suppliers. Also provides bespoke packaging services to help you with your custom retail packaging.
www.discountpolybag.co.uk
Discount Poly Bags
Discount Polybags provides a guide to source discount poly bags and other polythene packaging for different materials, sizes, colors and closures. Whether it is dust protection, surface protection, moisture protection you will be able source the correct plastic bag for the job.
www.discountpolybags.co.uk
Discount Polythene Bags
Great online resource for discount polythene bags. Includes a list of major suppliers of polythene bags, along with a list of popular products and a very handy buyers' guide to help you get hold of quality polythene bags but at cheap prices.
www.discountpolythenebags.co.uk
Plastic Bags Direct
Useful directory of plastic bags and packages, from plastic shopping bags to food packaging. Including details of what plastics are, their composition and the best places to buy them online.
www.plasticbagsdirect.co.uk
E-Polybags
Online polythene packaging retailer with a wide range of option for polythene bags, plastic shopping bags, carriers and much more. Also offering a printed carriers bags service and alternative eco-friendly packaging, all with free UK delivery.
www.e-polybags.co.uk
Printed Bags
Website providing you with the best suppliers of discount plastic carrier bags including patch handle, varigauge, flexiloop and more. Also offering eco-friendly alternatives and a promotional printed carrier bags service.
www.printedbags.org.uk
Bags
Find the lowest prices for plastic bags, packaging bags and polythene carrier bags from a selection of suppliers and manufacturers.
www.bags.uk.com
Bag Suppliers
BagSuppliers.co.uk provides a huge range of polythene packaging all at competitive prices. You will also find a selection of top suppliers of polythene bags and plastic packaging, research and resources and eco-friendly alternatives to polythene.
www.bagsuppliers.co.uk
Research & Resources
There is plenty more detailed information about packaging available online, including details of the manufacturing process and a list of the huge variety of plastic packaging available. To find out more, please visit:
Plastic Bags
Find specialist packaging websites containing lots of helpful information on this free online directory specialising in polythene packaging, where you can post your own product listings for free.
www.plasticbags.uk.com
Packaging Knowledge
In-depth news and information resource specialising in plastic packaging. Find out facts and read detailed articles on a variety of packaging products.
www.packagingknowledge.com
Goldstork
"Best of the web" directory containing useful hand-picked information and interesting and unusual websites specialising in polythene packaging.
www.goldstork.com
The eco-effects of packaging
Food manufacturers and supermarkets are often criticised for the amount of packaging that food is sold in. Critics claim that in a day and age when we are trying to be greener we should be trying to use less packaging, but often forgotten amongst the criticism are the reasons why packaging is used on food in the first place.
Packaging helps food stay fresh for longer and it helps protect it during transportation. We live in a world where people expect the same choice of food on the supermarket shelves 365 days of the year. Of course this means that food often has to be shipped long distances, for which good quality packaging is essential.
What’s more, even with current levels of packaging, the UK already produces 7.2 million tonnes of food waste every year, compared to 4.9 million tonnes of packaging (Waste & Resources Action Programme, 2012). If fresh food wasn’t packaged well, it would go off even sooner and more of it would be wasted, so perhaps we should focus on reducing the amount of food we waste and not on the amount of packaging on our food.
Of course, the greenest solution would be for everyone to live off their own land, to grow their own food and hunt their own meat, but we all know that this is not going to happen.
The next best solution, and one that is more attainable if people have the necessary will, is to buy more local food and more seasonal food. Both of these actions would reduce food miles as well as the amount of packaging required for the food, which would mean less of a carbon footprint from transporting the food.
Reducing the amount of packaging we use for our food is important, but it currently serves a very useful purpose in a society where having a choice of food is seen by many as a right and not a luxury.
