The Tool Desk
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Start with the product’s protection requirements
Write down what the package must protect against and for how long. Consider whether the product oxidizes, absorbs moisture, loses aroma, degrades in light, leaks, crushes, punctures easily, or needs protection from contamination. Specify the target shelf life and conditions from filling through consumer use.
A broad description such as “high barrier” is not enough to select a structure. Identify which barrier matters—oxygen, moisture, light, or another property—and ask what performance the product requires. Also note abrasion, puncture, and leak-resistance needs.
Map storage, transit, and consumer use
Record the conditions the package will encounter: ambient, chilled, frozen, humid, or long-distance distribution. Include shipping, retail display, and consumer storage, not just the moment the product is filled. These conditions help define both the protective construction and the format.
#1 Best Overall
Describe how people need to use the package. It may need to open easily, pour or dispense, reseal, show the product, or control portions. If portion size or resealing could reduce product waste, include that in the brief. Flexible packaging can incorporate features such as resealable closures and transparent films where suitable, but the feature must work with the product and the chosen construction.
Choose a format and construction together
Format describes the package shape or use; construction describes the material layers and properties. Neither alone establishes whether the package will protect the product or run on the filling line.
Rank #2
- Ideal for Gifting
- Ideal for a bookworm
- Compact for travelling
| Format | Examples and selection context |
|---|---|
| Bags and wrappers | Flexible formats used across a range of products; the required barrier and strength depend on the product and distribution conditions. |
| Stand-up pouches | A pouch format to consider when the product and display or consumer-use needs suit it. The format name does not establish barrier, contact, or sealing suitability. |
| Retort pouches | A named flexible format; confirm the intended processing conditions and required performance with a qualified converter. |
| Lidding | Flexible material used to cover or seal a container; assess sealing compatibility and the protection the product needs. |
| Shrink sleeves and labels | Flexible formats for sleeves and labels; select for the application rather than treating them as substitutes for a protective product package. |
| Shrink wrap and stretch film | Formats used for wrapping and handling; assess the mechanical and distribution job they must perform. |
| Medical packaging | A specialized application requiring suitable sterile-barrier materials and validation with the product and sterilization process. |
Examples from the Flexible Packaging Association illustrate how the preservation need can guide format and construction: modified-atmosphere packs for fresh meat, high-barrier pouches for coffee, and vacuum-sealed films for cheese. These are examples, not universal recommendations.
Check production fit before committing
A material change can affect machinability, sealing, handling, line speed, and changeover. Give suppliers enough information to assess the actual equipment and intended operating conditions rather than asking only for a material name or sample.
What to include in a converter brief
- Product description and contact type, target shelf life, and critical oxygen, moisture, light, or mechanical requirements.
- Storage and transit conditions, package dimensions, closure and opening needs, and expected volumes.
- Filling method, sealing equipment and conditions, line speed, and any known handling constraints.
- Destination markets and applicable food, medical, child-resistance, or other compliance needs.
- Recycling access or environmental-claim goals, if relevant.
Ask for the proposed layer structure and evidence that it meets the written requirements under the conditions in which it will be used. For a new structure or a change from a proven material, plan line trials. The Flexible Packaging Association and PMMI provide a resource focused on operational challenges and best practices during flexible-material transitions.
Verify food-contact or medical suitability
Food-contact packaging
For food, confirm that the material and intended use are suitable for the specific food type, temperature, contact duration, and single- or repeated-use conditions. Do not rely on a generic “food safe” claim.
Rank #4
Recycled plastic warrants particular diligence. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration identifies possible contaminant carryover, recycled inputs not regulated for food contact, and additives that may not comply as concerns. FDA evaluates proposed recycled-plastic uses case by case and describes information relevant to source controls, contaminant-removal testing, and intended conditions of use. Its July 2021 guidance addresses chemistry considerations for recycling processes that may produce material for food-contact use; FDA says its guidance documents describe current thinking and generally do not themselves establish legally enforceable responsibilities. These are U.S.-specific food-contact resources, not a substitute for reviewing the rules that apply in the destination market.
Medical and pharmaceutical packaging
For medical devices or pharmaceuticals, involve a qualified sterile-barrier supplier and validate the material, package, product, and sterilization process together. Flexible medical films can use PE, PP, PET, or multilayer laminates, and may be used for pouches, tray lidstock, or form-fill-seal. Material names alone do not establish suitability: properties such as puncture resistance, clarity, forming behavior, and compatibility with radiation, ethylene oxide, or steam vary by construction. The Sterile Barrier Association’s information is sector-specific context, not qualification of a particular package or a replacement for applicable technical and regulatory review.
Best Value
- It can be a gift option
- Comes with secure packaging
- Helpful in various ways
Evaluate sustainability across the whole system
Consider how efficiently a package protects the product, whether it may reduce product loss, how it performs in transport and storage, and what recovery options actually exist where it will be sold and discarded. The Flexible Packaging Association says, “The most sustainable packaging solution is the one that fulfills its protective purpose as efficiently as possible, with the lowest practicable environmental impact across its full life cycle.” That is the association’s perspective; support comparisons and environmental claims with application-specific evidence and appropriate lifecycle data.
Do not assume a flexible film is accepted in curbside recycling. The FPA says flexible films are excluded from curbside collection in many markets because of low density, tangling, and food residue. Some places collect clean, dry flexible polyolefins through designated drop-off systems. Multimaterial laminates can be difficult to identify and sort, and mechanical recycling often produces material used in lower-value applications rather than food-contact flexible packaging. Check the package instructions and the local collection provider; availability varies by location.
Qualify candidates with samples and trials
Compare candidate structures against the requirements you wrote down. Set appropriate tests for the product and intended conditions, and record the method and conditions so results can be interpreted rather than treated as universal properties.
- Check seal integrity and barrier performance against the product’s needs.
- Assess drop, puncture, abrasion, and leak resistance where relevant.
- Run filling-line trials to observe sealing, machinability, handling, and line behavior.
- Evaluate opening, pouring or dispensing, and resealing with the intended users and use pattern.
- Review appearance and logistics under the planned storage and distribution conditions.
Find suppliers and compare proposals
The Flexible Packaging Association’s Buyers Guide is a directory of member-company products, services, and suppliers, with categories covering materials, equipment, packaging machinery, features, and end-use markets. It can help you identify potential contacts, but directory inclusion is not an endorsement and does not qualify a supplier or package. Request proposals against the same written brief so you can compare structures and evidence on like terms.
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