Flexible packaging has been growing rapidly in recent years. According to the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), the flexible packaging industry had $31.1 billion in sales in the United States in 2014, and is the second largest packaging segment in the US, behind corrugated printing.

In its report, “Europe Flexible Packaging Market, Mordor Intelligence places the Europe flexible packaging market at $28.22 billion in 2016, growing to $41 billion by the end of 2021 at a CAGR of 7.76%.

“Increased demand for consumer-friendly products which are lightweight and easily transportable can be considered as a major factor behind Europe’s high market share,” Mordor’s analysts reported.

“Growing focus on sustainability, the increased need for extended shelf life, rising standards of hygiene and consumer focus on the ease of use are the core drivers of this market. Flexible packaging has superior barrier capabilities and can effectively protect the product from moisture and oxygen.”

Billion-dollar printers such as Amcor, Bemis and Sonoco are among the leaders in the field; the ongoing acquisition of Bemis by Amcor will form a company that reported a combined $13 billion in revenue in 2018.

Ink manufacturers report that the flexible packaging market continues to enjoy strong growth for a variety of reasons.

Deanna Klemesrud, global marketing director, packaging inks for Flint Group, noted that a variety of factors influence this growth.

“Flexible packaging has the ability to seal in freshness, taste and odor, occupies less space on a shelf, provides expanded aesthetics, and is lighter in weight affecting shipping costs before and after filling,” said Klemesrud. “Take for instance canned packaging – cans are supplied to the food producer/filler in up to three pieces plus a printed label; whereas with an FP pouch, you have one printed package which can be shipped flat and requires no construction. Additionally, pouches can be produced with a transparent window where consumers can see what’s inside and have peace of mind of the freshness and quality.

“Consider next, laundry detergents – here we see the move from folding carton to flexible packaging,” added Klemesrud. “The draw of many detergents is the fresh or distinctive scent promoted by the brand owner. With a folding carton, these odors are not sealed within the package; if sitting on a superstore shelf, these perfumes could cloud entire aisles. With a flexible packaging pouch, depending on the structure, you have a much better barrier against these odors. Furthermore, brands are developing detergents which are more concentrated to fight stains; flexible packaging inks can provide the resistance properties required to retain the brand colors, directions for use, and safety information on the package.”

“A decade or so ago, flexible packages were limited to big brands heavily weighted to the snack aisle,” said John Pogatschnik, product manager, narrow web North America at Flint Group. “The cost and functional benefits of flexible packaging have enabled it to be one of the fastest growing packaging types. A stand-up pouch uses half of the plastic raw material than its rigid container counterpart and requires roughly 1/9 of the truck and warehouse space for empty containers. These benefits reduce the cost for the entire value stream. Specific plastic bags reduce spoilage rates, self-adhesive and zipper reclosure features mean flexible packages can match in produce smaller portion sizes, reduced prefilled storage space, and lower raw matter.”

“Flexible packaging is not mainly expanding against folding carton but against rigid packaging,” said Giuseppe Gianetti, director business development flexible packaging for hubergroup. “The reasons for this are related to its lighter weight, its easy storage before use as well as its adaptation to different shapes and packaging processes. In the end, this development is a result of changed consumer behavior, growing urbanization, and the increasing use of packages for products such as coffee, snacks and confectionary, fresh and convenience food, soft drinks and liquid detergents as well as pet food.”

Dr. Ralph Detsch, VP global technology at Siegwerk, said that in general, it can be said that an increasing interest in new packaging materials and new requirements in packaging applications over the last years has influenced the overall development of the ink market.

“With a continuously increasing demand, flexible packaging has always remained one of the key growth drivers in the market,” Dr. Detsch added. “Flexible packaging solutions are offering high convenience, powerful protection features and overall the lowest carbon footprint.”

Tony Renzi, VP, product management packaging inks, North American Inks, Sun Chemical, observed that three key trends drive the growth in flexible packaging – sustainability initiatives, convenience, and smart packaging.

“From a sustainability standpoint, we’re referring to the trends in the market for key changes in the package itself, such as better barrier protection, lightweighting and recycling/compostability,” said Renzi.

“Convenience packaging has been on the rise since younger single households don’t tend to cook huge meals. This means packaging becomes more important to cook foods in. Coatings and inks can be used that trigger a color change when meat or vegetables start to get old. These smart packaging interactions between the chemistry of old foods on the inks create indicators that help know when to take foods off the shelf for safety reasons.”

“Flexible packaging continues to grow because of shelf appeal, convenience, and its ability to keep food fresh,” said Joe Kubasiak, market manager, flexible packaging for Wikoff Color. “Multilayer films, re-closable pouches, and fitments have made flexible packaging a convenient solution for today’s busy lifestyle.”

“Flexible packaging structures are modular and offer a wide variety of options,” added William Allen, North America business manager – flexible packaging for ACTEGA North America. “Converters can build structures with the desired features of the brand owner including visual effects, haptic, soft or sand touch, barrier, product resistance, and scuff resistance, coefficient of friction and puncture resistance.”

Hisayuki Abe, president of Toyo Ink America, LLC, reported that growth in flexible packaging formats for prepared foods like meats and seafood outpaces rigid packaging.

“Flexibles use far fewer resources, take less space and are lighter in weight than rigids,” noted Abe. “They also offer high barrier protection as barrier properties can be tailored to meet product shelf life and product needs. As consumer demand continues to grow for smaller and more convenient packaging formats, we expect to see flexible packaging, including multilayer laminated structures, make further gains. In line with this, Toyo Ink is working to expand its line of highly functional inks, adhesives and other food packaging materials that improve barrier properties.”

Flexible Packaging Emerges

Many years ago, it seems, almost everything was packaged in folding cartons. Even snack foods came in boxes. Flexible packaging started appearing in the snack aisle with bags of chips and pretzels, then with juice packs. Technological improvements such as resealable bags and retort packaging have paved the way for expansion.

“Flexible packaging has grown in the areas of single-use pouches for baby food, yogurts and other children’s snacks,” said Kubasiak. “The addition of the re-closable fitment has added a new level of convenience for families on the go. Retort and products that require pasteurization are another growth area as opportunities for cost savings arise from shipping the lighter weight packaging.”

“Flexible and pouch packaging has made big strides in the area of user-friendliness with new and improved designs in seals, grips, zips and spouts,” said Abe. “Transparent films and integrated windows also make it easier to see packaged content, making it an attractive, practical and convenient choice for consumers.”

“The application moved from packaging solid goods to liquid ones,” said Gianetti. “Besides, pasteurization, retortability, freezing, and modified atmosphere processes created the opportunity for additional applications, and barrier properties often see the replacement of aluminum foil with special treated plastics (metallization, barrier films, and barrier coatings).”

Mark Hill, VP and R&D director for INX International Ink Co., said that retort packaging remains a niche area in the US.

“We see some growth in retort but that growth is slow; retort and mild retort may see some growth due to consumers wanting more convenience-oriented products,” Hill observed. “It seems to be that consumers want the ease of use and ease of disposal these days. Thus, easy to open, close, reuse, and disposal are finding their way into most packaging these days.”

Klemesrud said that consumer behavior, safety, sustainability and aesthetics have played a large part in the growth journey of flexible packaging.

“Consumer studies show that convenience is critical to people with increasingly busy lifestyles. In the past, people would prepare dinners using fresh foods and ingredients. More and more, people purchase pre-cooked food for simple and quick preparation, and flexible packaging is perfect for brands that offer convenient pre-cooked options,” Klemesrud said.

Klemesrud also noted the safety and sustainability advantages of flexible packaging.

“From a safety perspective, flexible packaging pouches or shrink sleeves can be designed with transparent (window) areas which allow consumers to see what’s inside,” added Klemesrud. “Is the product fresh and safe for consumption? Looking at sustainability, food waste is a growing global concern. Brand owners are pressured to find ways to keep food fresh longer. Flexible packaging provides options which can retain food freshness over longer periods of time. With a longer shelf life, food can be distributed to a broader geographic scope and still be fresh.”

Dr. Detsch also noted sustainability benefits.

“Changes in the use of flexible packaging over the past few years have been driven especially by the material advantages in comparison to other packaging solutions: low weight, high convenience and powerful protection features,” Dr. Detsch noted. “Today, flexible packaging is an attractive substitute for heavyweight packaging like glass, metal cans and carton. Its high-functional qualities offer convenient packaging features including easy opening and reclosing of packages as well as packaging functions that considerably increase a product’s shelf life. Sustainable growth areas of the last years have been sleeves, in-mold labels, lids for dairy products, retort packages and surface printing structures, which offer more efficient solutions and interesting optical and tactile properties.”

Klemesrud also pointed out that flexible packaging has aesthetic advantages over other types of packaging.

“More than 70% of purchase decisions are made at the shelf and brand owners have limited time to make their impact,” Klemesrud observed. “If you consider shrink sleeve packaging, brand owners have a much larger area to fill with graphics and branding – 360°-degree graphics are a reality and continue to grow in popularity. Additionally, providing more area for nutritional and safety information is required in certain regions of the world.”

Renzi reported that the flexible packaging industry is now seeing greater end use application diversity than before, which poses challenges for ink manufacturers.

“We’re seeing printers diversify their businesses by expanding into new flexible packaging structures and components as well as new container labeling applications,” Renzi added. “This means new challenges for inks to perform in different conditions. We will need ink systems that can allow for that type of business diversity in the future. Inks are being asked to do something new for converters. Having a solution to accomplish this challenge is key.

“Customers are also looking for innovation in the areas of lightweighting, interactivity, shelf impact, late-stage differentiation, personalization, brand protection, shelf life and consumer experience,” Renzi added. “Additionally, customers are always looking for ways to improve press efficiency. Some printers are exploring the option of switching/expanding to the expanded color gamut printing process because of the benefits of quicker changeover times and the ability to streamline the pressroom. Others are looking for inks that can be used interchangeably on multiple presses for a variety of applications.”

More Opportunities for Flexible Packaging

No discussion of flexible packaging can be complete without a look at recyclability and sustainability. Plastic packaging is under fire for being single use and not particularly recyclable. Companies throughout the flexible packaging supply chain are working to improve their products.

“Along with the concerns over the global usage of plastic drinking straws, food plates, cups and utensils, concerns over the types of flexible packaging substrates will continue to grow among consumers and brand owners,” Knut Fenner, general manager of Colorcon Inc., observed. “This will lead to renewed, loud requests for packaging that is more biodegradable, more carbon friendly, etc. while still maintaining all of the barrier properties of current substrates. This will then lead to the need for inks and coatings that will provide more of the barrier and resistance properties that are today built into many of the plastics used for packaging.”

“We expect the market to be stable and growing and it will evolve as sustainability efforts of CGCs evolve,” Hill observed. “Plastics have been getting a bad rap of late due to ocean waste and polluted beaches. Companies are looking to make their packages seem more natural and have them look like paper, but have the durability and shelf life of plastic. The next evolution will be to make these packages easier to recycle so they don’t become waste.”

Abe said that increased global awareness of packaging safety and recycling trends will continue to fuel demand for greener materials and technology.

“With ongoing advances in mono-material packaging and the delamination of multilayer packaging systems, we expect to see new materials and technology take packaging design to new heights,” added Abe. “To meet the demand for increased eco-advantages, Toyo Ink is not only working to improve the end-of-life recovery of its packaging systems, but is also focusing on delivering innovations in eco-friendly water-based inks, electron beam (EB) inks, and highly functional products such as barrier coating agents for flexible packaging applications.”

“Flexible packaging still has room for improvement regarding volumes and technology,” Gianetti said. “Applications and geographical areas still need to be explored. The rising importance of the circular economy, recyclability, bio-compostability, and eco-friendly products are powerful boosters for innovations. At hubergroup, we attach great importance to sustainability, therefore we see this as a real opportunity.”

Renzi said that creating packaging that attracts the attention of customers remains key to the market.

“In addition to the functional requirements that are required for packaging, such as coatings that help protect bottles through the filling lines, standout has always been an important quality that brand owners demand from their packaging,” said Renzi. “Sun Chemical remains ahead of the curve in providing options to help a package pop on the shelf from sensory coatings to printed electronics.”
Allen believes that digital printing will also play a role in the future of flexible packaging.

“ACTEGA North America sees significant growth in variable printing technologies, improved performance in conventional printing, better performance from regulatory-compliant ink systems and accelerated growth in value-added packages,” Allen said.

Klemesrud sees flexo gaining in usage for flexible packaging, with water-based ink technologies becoming more prevalent.

“While we realize that gravure is still employed in the packaging markets, we continue to see a shift from gravure to flexo to varying levels in different regions of the world. We also see an uptick in water-based chemistry for use on flexible packaging applications. And, of course, there remains a growing need for low migration inks in food packaging,” Klemesrud said.

“Printers, along with the entire value chain, are very concerned about sustainability,” added Klemesrud. “Recyclability and compostability are the #1 and #2 requests we are currently getting in North America.

Flint Group has a very detailed sustainability platform focusing on environmental concerns; the reduction of our carbon footprint and designing sustainable products are top prerequisites in our development efforts. We can summarize macro trends in the flexible packaging market through an acronym S.A.F.E. – Sustainability, Aesthetics, Functionality and Efficiency.”

“The global flexible packaging market will further continue to grow. This growth will be mainly driven by emerging markets due to their increasing urbanization, modern retail and high income by capita,” Dr. Detsch noted. “The growth in developed markets, where the level of saturation in terms of per capita packaging consumption is much higher, will be further driven by higher value-added inks such as digital inks offering an increased level of customization in short runs or recycling-friendly inks like, for example, PU inks as a substitution for PVC inks. All in all, packaging printing will further gain momentum in 2019, shaping new trends for the industry.”