The explosive growth of new food, nutritional supplements, herbal and medicinal products, has driven a surge in demand for flexible packaging, which includes mylar packaging and other types of flexible packaging.
In fact the flexible packaging market (which includes Mylar packaging) is expected to grow to $237 billion by 2028, from a market size of $176 billion in 2021.
A large part of this market is custom mylar packaging, as well as related types of films and packaging solutions.
In this short guide we’ll get into the top 7 benefits of customer mylar packaging, and we’ll also share a few definitions to shed some light on the often confusing terms related to the term.
What is Mylar Packaging?
In an earlier article we addressed some of the confusion related to mylar packaging:
“Mylar® packaging is actually the trademarked name of a widely-used PET film from DuPont Teijin Films. It was first introduced in 1952, and the company began production on it in Ohio in 1954. Mylar® is BoPET (biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) film commonly used as plastic flexible packaging across a variety of industries, including many packaged foods. And while it is a trademarked term for a specific film from DuPont, the term is widely used in the industry when referring to any plastic film.”
In other words Mylar is a brand name used to refer to a specific type of packaging material, like Kleenex is the brand name for a type of tissue, and Band-Aid is the brand name for a type of bandage used for minor cuts and bruises.
Look, we get it. Many people use ‘mylar’ interchangeably with plastic film packaging when referring to the type of bags they’d like to package their products with.
The 7 Benefits of Custom Mylar and Other Types of Flexible Packaging
But whether you refer to it as ‘mylar’, or flexible packaging, there are some definite benefits you can count on.
1. Odor and Moisture Resistance
Many products in the herbal supplements, medicinal, foodstuffs and nutritional products space need special protection to keep the products fresh, and to prevent odors from leaking.
The high-barrier films used in custom mylar and flexible packaging materials today keep smells and odors from exiting the bag while preventing moisture from entering.
The benefit? Your product stays fresh while maintaining its quality. And you won’t have to worry about any smells wafting out causing an embarrassing inconvenience
2. Child Resistance
Let’s face it: many nutritional supplements and herbal remedies with medicinal properties can be hazardous to children at certain doses. Thankfully, with custom mylar packaging and its brethren, it’s easy to keep products out of the curious hands of little ones.
Many vendors, like ePac, sell child-resistant mylar bags, stand up pouches, and lay flat pouches that have been tested and certified by third-party agencies to meet federal test requirements.
3. Sustainable to Protect the Environment
With concern for the environment an ever-increasing priority today, many brands make their decision to go with a packaging vendor if they can prove their packaging materials are environmentally friendly.
Look for vendors that produce 100% recyclable packaging, with features such as CR zippers, and sustainable film structures for an earth-conscious approach to your packaging strategy.
4. Puncture and Tear Resistance
Packaging that can resist tears and punctures is so important for food and supplement vendors, especially for those that have to transport their goods to geographically dispersed locations. It’s important for both product freshness and to keep certain products away from children.
Custom mylar packaging and other flexible packaging materials, such as stand up, rollstock and lay flat pouches, are designed to not tear or damage on the shelf, in transit, or with customer handling.
5. Resealable Closures
For packages to hold larger portion sizes, you need air-tight and water-tight resealable closures to continue keeping your product fresh, and keep odors from escaping.
Vendors like ePac offer packaging with press-to-close zippers, certified child-resistant zippers, and even no zipper options.
6. Photo Quality Finish to Make Your Packaging Stand Out
With today’s materials, flexible packaging just looks good, period. And the customizable options to have your packaging pop on the shelves are endless. Finish options, such as matte, soft-touch matte, gloss, and metallized look great when printed with today’s digital printing technology.
7. Digital Printing for Fast Turnaround Times
Finally, with digital printing for custom mylar packaging, stand up pouches, lay flat packaging and rollstock, packaging vendors today (such as ePac) can deliver your finished pouches in record time (often between 5-15 days).
And if you have last minute changes to your designs, such as sudden regulatory changes you need to communicate on your packaging, or to be timely with world events, digital printing can help you do that without costing you an arm and a leg.
As you can see, custom packaging solutions with flexible packaging, mylar and other plastic film solutions, provide excellent benefits for today’s food, supplement, herbal and medicinal vendors.
If you’d like to learn more about how ePac can help you with your packaging, contact us now!
