Jagannath
Suppose, you are planning to buy a product offline, the very first thing you will notice after the product itself is the packaging when you go to the store. Similarly, when you order a product online, the importance of packaging material increases even more, because you don’t want your ordered product to be leaked or spilled, or broken.
The importance of packaging material is increasing with time in this digital era, especially in the e-shopping era. Plus, the outer look is important when you buy a product; it is common consumer psychology. Following are a few packaging materials that are used largely across the packaging industry.
Paperboard
Paperboard boxes are strong & lightweight, that is made using paper-based material. You can give any custom structure & shape by cutting or manipulating it easily. Such characteristics make paperboard boxes an easy & affordable option for manufacturing units to pack their products with. The paperboard boxes are mainly made from fiber material that is extracted from recycled waste paper pulp or wood. Then, those extracted fibers are bleached. The paperboard materials come in different forms & shapes that can be used for a different purpose. Such as, solid bleached sulfate is used to pack medicine, milk, cosmetics, juice, frozen food, etc. On the other hand, coated unbleached kraft (CUK) paperboard is used to make environment friendly & more natural look of recycled paper. CUK is not resistant to moisture which makes it a bad choice for packing food products. You can give paperboard packing a high end look if you choose the material.
Plastic
Plastic is used in a wide range of products, from spacesuits to shampoo sachet. In today’s world, every packaging material is getting replaced by plastic packaging material for its cost-effective nature. Plus the plastic packaging materials have many other advantages too, such as they are highly moisture resistant, durable, waterproof, can easily be recycled. Airtight plastic packaging containers can preserve food & other stuff for a longer period than any other packaging material. Plastic packaging materials are leak-proof, contamination-free, cannot easily be broken & things can be stored under extreme conditions. One of the most important features of the plastic packaging material is it is transparent, so sales representatives can showcase the products without tearing or opening the original packaging. It is lightweight & flexible and can be applied to any packaging for enhancing the appearance. It takes way lesser energy to produce plastic packaging material since it is recyclable if you compare it with other packaging material.
Glass
Glass is used to pack various items, especially food & beverages. It is made from silica, calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, etc. A few other components are added to enhance the shape & appearance, such as, to give color, to protect from heat, to design, to sparkle. Glass is a widely popular material for packaging because it is chemically inactive, free from contamination, can be sterilized easily, reusable, pressure & heat resistance up to a degree. It is also moisture resistant. You can mold it into any shape depending on your requirement. The product is visible as it is transparent, so sales executives do not need to showcase the product by opening it. Plus, glass packages can be decorated as per the requirement by labeling it. Glass is highly recyclable but it has one drawback, i.e., it is fragile. There is danger after breaking a glass. It can harm anybody around it.
Metal
Metals, i.e., aluminum or tin plates are used as a packaging material. Food, tubes, drums, drink cans, hinge lid drums, aerosol cans, gift boxes, and confectionary packages are made using metals. Tin-plate is the most common material that is used to make food & beverage cans. Tin plate is also used for un-plating or to coat any packaging. On the other hand, aluminum is used to make closures, tubs, drink cans, tubes, etc. Also, aluminum is used to make foils that are used to wrap food items so that it can remain fresh for a longer period. It is also used to laminate or as a blister pack or as a sealing pack. Metal can be used in various packaging to make it sturdy. It has many other positive characteristics, i.e, strong & rigid, resistant to pressure & temperature, works as a barrier to moisture & water, it can be sterilized easily. The look of the packaging can be manipulated easily by giving it any desired shape or labeling.
These are four packaging materials that are being used in the packaging industry for ages. As these are cost-effective, serve their purpose efficiently. Since packaging materials have shifted more towards industrial usage, manufacturing units look for packaging materials that can be given any look by doing minimum customization, also look high end & eye-catchy.
