Plastic Packaging: Advantages & Disadvantages

As the population is proliferating, the demands for consumers’ product are increasing day-by-day.

Producers and manufacturers of beverages and foods are continually looking for different ways that can enhance the practice of their working and add creational values in the product.

This is also the duty of manufacturers to ensure that the food products are highly-preserved and their packaging is up-to-date till the time of their sale.

In the market, there are various materials and alternatives are available for the packaging, but plastic packaging has always been considered as the most recommended option due to high durability, low-rates, adaptability, and common availability.

Over many years, plastic packaging has retained its popularity, and people are using it more frequently.

Why is plastic packaging becoming so popular?

Due to several functionalities, plastic packaging serves in different ways in modern lives.

Below there are some primary reasons that peruse us to rely on it in our lives

Display information

plastic packaging allows the manufacturers to mention important information about the product on the package such as preservative, nutrients that cause allergies, the usability of the product, recommended amount, etc.

Preservation

for longer preservation of food, manufacturers are using plastic packaging. This will reduce the waste ability of product and allow consumers to use products for a longer period before they are not sustainable

Prevent wastes

spillages are avoided by keeping products together.

Protection

for the protection of vulnerable products in transit, plastic packaging is best. It can also protect food protects from humidity, gases, microorganism insects, contamination and light.

Transportation

as compared to other materials and alternatives materials, plastic packaging allows manufacturers to transport products from great distances.

In this way, consumers have easy access to a wide range of non-local products that also encourages trade in the country. Plastic packaging made transportation more efficient by saving spaces due to stacking objects.

Are plastic pouches are sustainable for food packaging?

Due to the ease of transportation and durability, the standup pouches are considered as an ideal packaging option for food.

Different types of microwave-safe pouches can stand with different temperature scales and pressures. These microwave pouches are made up of LLDPE and laminated PET food grade material.

Food grade plastic pouches are also the best option for keeping your favorite food fresh for longer periods.

These plastic pouches come up with the protective layer that successfully keeps the outside elements such as moisture, dust, UV Lights, dust and oxygen from entering it into the package.

Recyclability of the Plastic Pouches

The plastic packages are versatile that increase their optimism recyclability value. It is also increasing because the flexible packaging industry is moving towards the industry of full recycling of plastic products.

This property of pouches allows us to customize this packaging material to the end-life of their use.

Plastic Packaging and Retail

Plastic pouches have made the life of product manufacturers easy.

Plastic pouches allow manufacturers to include clearly and professionally all the information regarding nutritional info and marketing information of the product on the packet.

In this way, the manufacturers don’t have to spend a large sum of money on the labeling and customizing of the package.

Due to the use of high-quality rotogravure printing, you can make your product stand out on the list of many products.

Due to the high economic value, plastic packaging has an instant impact on the consumers in the retail market.

In saturated market places, Cottage-Style Manufacturers are effectively beating household brands, and this is also the reason that increases the use of this packaging style in the market.

With different characteristics, plastic packaging allows producers to create eye-catching, increase product visibility in the retail market with top-rated custom designs.

What is the reason for using plastic pouches?

Plastic packaging bags are consumer friendly and easy-to-use.

Consumers only have to pope up or tear the package for accessing the content in the packet.

Some plastic packaging comes up with grip seal closure settings that allow customers to easily open the product and repeatedly use it for several times.

Now you don’t have to eat your entire chocolate bar at ones and store it

This is the article in which you can learn some basic advantages and disadvantages that will help you to decide whether you use plastic packaging for your products or not. Let’s have a brief look at them.

Advantages of using Plastic Packaging

As per the advantages, the use of plastic packaging is becoming more common. The list of its advantages is

Safety

Due to the high rate of a shatter resistant, plastic packages and containers do no damage or break when they are dropped and knocked over.

This property of plastic packaging makes them more vulnerable and increases their use at different places such as bathrooms, parties, food markets, at the pools, around children playgrounds, by the beaches, and at party clubs.

Flexibility

Due to the adaptability value, plastic packaging is highly durable and flexible.

Due to this property, manufacturers can change the size, shape, and weight of the packaging according to their needs and the packaging that attract the interests of consumers.

This property of plastic packaging allows manufacturers to transport their products at long distance places without losing the original value of their product.

Lightweight storage option

The plastic packaging option does not require lots of storage space as compared to other alternatives because it is extremely light in weight.

Since plastic packaging product doesn’t cover large spaces; this packaging material is easily transportable and effectively reduces the need for the carbon footprint.

Hygienic

Pollution is increasing, and there are very few items that can save our food and other vulnerable product safe from contamination and plastic packaging is one of them.

This property of plastic packaging makes it useful for medical packaging because the packaging is filled automatically and sealed without any human.

Economical value

Due to the high economic value, the plastic packaging is used by all industries no matter what type of packaging style they require and what is their motive of operations.

As this packaging is cost-effective, which make it beneficial for the manufacturers who work on small scales? This allows them to adjust the standardized packaging of products in low budgets.

Decrease wastage

Since the durability value of plastic is extremely high, and it is the best resistor for the external influencer.

The product packaging makes sure that your product is preserved and secure from all sides all the times.

On the other hand, it can also save you from wastage of inventory and help you to bring more malleability, consistency in the delivery of the final product.

In hand, it also increases the value of your brand.

Surviving ability

As plastic packaging is made up of different complex procedures, so plastic packaging has more abilities to endure the toughest environment.

As compare to others, the plastic packaging doesn’t degradable in hot or cold temperatures that increase its integrity value of storing fruits and beverages.

In comparison with other packaging materials, plastic packaging can protect the food from dust, germs, oxygen, light, colors, and microorganisms.

Versatility

The versatility of plastic packaging is high that allows the easy reuse and recycling of the packet.

Nowadays, companies are designing specially customized plastic bags with the help of rain that helps you to optimize their recyclability.

A study is conducted by the United States of EPA, “as compared to paper, plastic packaging take 40% less time to produce and 80% less waste is generated in its manufacturing.

Molding

Not all products require the packaging of the same size; some of them require small size while others are large.

Manufacturer companies can easily mold the plastic packaging bag into the size and shape that fits perfectly with their product.

Disadvantages of Using Plastic Packaging

No doubt that the use of plastic packaging has been increased from recent past years.

Many companies have joined the industry of plastic packaging, and many different types of plastics are now manufacturing.

Industries consider plastic packaging a lot cheaper and an easy way for protecting their food from contamination as compared to other materials (for example stones, metal, and aluminum).

Plastic bags are the raw material that is produced from the byproducts of crude oil, and it can be recycled in many ways.

According to the point of view of consumers, plastic packaging is light in weight, and they can easily carry products with them.

However, the increasing use of crude oil has also some shortfalls.

Except for the long list of advantages of plastic packaging, there are also some disadvantages that make use doubt the characteristics of plastic.

Let’s learn some disadvantages that have become the most common downfall of the use of plastic bags.

Low Melting Point

In comparison with other packaging material, the most common downfall of plastic is that they have low melting points.

This means the plastic packaging doesn’t withstand in the area where the temperature is a little high.

Due to low melting points, plastics cannot be used in the furnaces. Some plastic products are highly flammable such as nylons, polyethylene, acrylics, and polyesters.

These materials are commonly used in offices and home appliances. Low melting point also makes plastic a fire hazard material.

Degradation of the environment

Plastics are non-degradable material. The decay of this material is not easy. It might take centuries and cause pollution in the environment.

Due to the strong bonding of intermolecular forces, the molecules in the plastic material are constituted.

This property makes sure that the structure of plastic neither decomposes nor corrodes for several thousand years.

The plastic material that is disposed of indecently restricted is washed away by water reservoirs. The plastic clogs the natural sources of water and floats on reservoirs.

This cause pollution and make water unsightly and useless for humans.

Harmful for nature

The plastic material that is used in means of human consumption purposes, such as food packaging bags contains harmful components.

Improper disposal of plastic packages cause many harmful disadvantages and leads plastic to find its way in natural water bodies.

Here they will decay or resolve after thousands of years ago due to their nature of non-degradability. For animals, littered plastic means death because they can accidentally eat them and die because of choking.

Moreover, in the manufacturing of plastic fabrication, many destructive chemicals are included in the form of colorant, stabilizers and high enduring substances.

Almost all the time, these chemicals are not undergone through the ecological risk approval process and have a negative impact on human nature, and the well-being of the environment is disturbed with these materials.

Phthalates are a common example of plastic fabrication that is commonly used in the manufacturing of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC).

Durability

As compared to metals, plastic materials have a short usage life.

Due to this short life span, there are large pile-ups of unwanted garbage such as plastic bags, packaging, food stuffing boxes, and water bottles in the offices, houses, in kid’s playgrounds and amusement parks.

No matter how much plastic is recycled but there is always some that are remaining untouched and uncollected in dump sites and waste yards.

In today’s pollution, plastic materials such as shopping bags are playing a leading role.

Moreover, the polythene bags are lighter as compared to any other bag carrier, and it is easily carried away by winds, and it makes it impossible to collect these bags for recycling purposes.

A Better Bottom Line

It is not right to say that plastic is always the best choice for manufacturers.

However, with a large list of advantages, we cannot ignore the fact that plastic is a non-toxic material that has undeniably a negative impact on our environment and nature.

This is a huge problem that is creating big problems for our future.

The plastic packaging in particular and society in general, the plastic manufacturing processes still need advancements and better resources, and this is the only way to step forward to overcome this enormous problem.