As Pack Expo Las Vegas fast approaches (September 28-30), It is clear that one of the hot topics at the show will be resealable flexible packaging.
Why so much attention on resealables? Well first off, a little over half the attendees expected at this Pack Expo are from the food industry, where resealable packaging has really taken off. Most of all though, resealable technology has a host of specific advantages for consumers.
Advantages of resealables
Reasealables started out humbly enough, in baby wipes, to keep the alcohol content of the package from evaporating, but once the concept was adapted to the food industry and combined with the now very popular flexible packaging, that’s when it’s use flourished.
Just as flexible packaging, by way of its use of various layers of plastic significantly increases a food’s shelf life, so the reseal feature helps extend a food’s life even further by allowing the consumer to serve only the necessary portion and keep the rest of the food protected against conditions that could harm it. If it is cheese or meat, resealable layered packaging helps protect against moisture, vapour and oxygen and if it is fruit or vegetables, it allows moisture to and oxygen to penetrate allowing the food to ‘breath’. There is also another big convenience factor: consumers not having to use their own collection of resealable containers to transfer food into.
Resealable hybrids
The idea of reasealability isn’t limited to flexible packaging, however. It can also be seen in combinations of new and old technology, such as in resealable rigid boxes that reduce the waste and low efficiency of the traditional bag in a box. Wine producers and beer makers have adopted twist off aluminum caps, and the concept has also been introduced to aluminum cans, in the form of reasealing tab. Some designs even adapt to customer preferences: Heinz recently produced a hybrid Dip or Squeeze bottle, which allows you to do both, if you please.
Resealable innovations
The innovation continues down some even more imaginative avenues: Just last week Zip-Pak, a leader in the resealable market, introduced new seals with ‘audial and tactile feedback’ letting you know that the package is properly resealed. They also presented scent-emitting seals that are embedded with fragrance at the factory level. Zip-Pak claims to be able to reproduce almost any fragrance for these closures. These ‘sensory feedback’ concepts aren’t something they’ve pulled out of thin air (no pun intended) but stem from collaboration with several of their supply chain partners. Time will tell if they become popular.
Resealable flexible packaging will certainly continue to attract attention, and find its way into more consumer products. Stay tuned for more ideas on this topic during Pack Expo – even better, come and see us at booth #8291.
Need help? Let’s talk!
If you think your product could benefit from resealable flexible packaging, or if you need guidance on your packaging project, as always, we’ll be happy to help.
