What Is Pouch Packaging

Pouch packaging is flexible product packaging made from barrier film or foil with optional spouts and caps. This type of packaging is designed to safely store and seal in the freshness of a wide range of products, from fruits and produce, ground or whole spices, baby food, to household cleaning agents. The barrier film material ensures that your products inside do not get exposed to air, moisture, light, and other outside elements.

Types of Pouch Packaging

• Stand-up Pouches – This type of pouch comes with a bottom gusset, giving it the ability to stand on its own. These can be displayed on a shelf by themselves without the need for racks or hangers.
• Flat Pouches – These are meant to lay flat and are typically displayed on a tray or on a peg hook. Flat pouches are ideally used with small or slim products so that your design and branding are still prominently displayed and not curved or warped.
• Spouted Pouches – Spout pouches are primarily used with liquid or semi-liquid products, such as fruit juices, dishwashing liquid, and sauces. The spout helps pour the product without making a mess. It is also reclosable to preserve the liquids for future use.
• Zipper – Some pouch products are meant to be used for an extended period of time such as edibles, trail mix, coffee beans, and cleaning agents. A reclosable zipper is added to the packaging to prolong the shelf life of the items once it’s opened.
• Fin seal – These types of pouches are made for high-volume single-serve consumables, such as candy bars, potato chips, and other snacks. Since these products are inexpensive, the material used for fin seal pouches is thinner.
• Retort – These specialty pouches are the go-to packaging material of choice for processed, ready-to-eat food. It is made from heat-resistant plastic film that is sterilized to a maximum temperature of 121°C. These pouches rose to prominence with military MREs.

Benefits of Pouch Packaging

• Customizable – Custom pouches give you plenty of flexibility both in production capacity and design. You can choose from several pouch sizes that fit your product best. Design-wise, the whole surface of the pouch can be printed on, giving you a striking full-bleed look once it’s displayed on shelves. We also offer free design services to help make your pouch look its best.
• Space efficient – Pouches ship flat and are lightweight. Once filled with product, they can lay flat or be lined up together while in storage or transport. The space pouches occupy is minuscule compared to other product packaging options such as cardboard boxes, bottles, and jars.
• Cost-effective – Custom pouches use less material than most product packaging options. Since it’s lightweight, it’s also cheaper to ship and store. Making the switch to pouch packaging will pay dividends in the long run with huge savings on a per-unit basis.
• Sustainable – A big strength of pouches is their minimal use of materials. You have the barrier film and that’s it. It’s a stark contrast to the problem of over-packaging you usually see: boxes, bubble wrap, tape, and void fill. Especially with the current climate, the need for eco-friendly and sustainable product packaging options is an important consideration. While the pouches themselves are not recyclable, their minimal use of materials helps lessen their environmental impact.

Make the Switch to Pouch Packaging Today

With the key benefits of pouch packaging outlined, are you ready to make the switch? Packola offers custom stand-up and flat pouches to help your business make the transition to flexible packaging. Print with Packola today.