I really don’t like peanuts, not kind you eat at a baseball game but the kind used in packaging. They are also know as expanded polystyrene or EPS. Kids might like EPS peanuts but I find them messy, difficult to clean up and dispose of.

 

Recently I purchased a lighting fixture that was packaged with EPS peanuts. Once I removed the fixture, it resulted in hundreds of peanuts scattered all over my floor along with air-borne EPS dust. After cleaning up the mess, I had nearly a 30 gallon Hefty bag full of peanuts. Fortunately I found a place that recycled them but I’m sure they are often thrown out with the rest of the garbage and end up in a landfill for hundreds of years. A better, more earth-friendly packaging alternative for my light fixture would of been void fill air pouches. Air pouches are easily reusable and creates no mess after a package is opened. The air pouch would of also offer better protection for my packaged item.

 

Void fill air pillows are a cleaner, greener and cost effective option to peanut packaging.  The air pillows are inflated with a portable system and take up much less storage space than EPS peanuts. They are available in biodegradable form, recyclable, and reduce shipping cost. 

 

Pyramid Packaging is a Chicago wholesale distributor of void fill air pillows and equipment. Click here for more information on void fill packaging or call us at 847-901- 4300.

Remember when grocery store items mainly consisted of rigid packaging such paperboard boxes, glass and plastics? Today many of these rigid packaging products has been repackaged with flexible plastic pouches. Items like meats/poultry, snacks, drinks, dry foods condiments, detergents and even alcohol are packaged in flexible pouches. Because of their advantages, flexible plastic pouches are the fastest-growing type of packaging.

 

Flexible pouches are lightweight, used for a variety of applications, customizable, printable, and reusable. Flexible pouches also come with re-closable zippers. This makes it unnecessary to use scissors or knives to open the pouch and will keep products fresh after its initial use. With gusseted bags, the bottom folds out when filled so it can stand up on its own without tipping over.  Flexible pouches are environmentally friendly since they use few resources to produce them resulting in a smaller carbon foot print and waste. Unlike rigid packaging, flexible pouches take up less room on a store shelf, and are less bulky so they are easier to transport. Since flexible pouches are available with oxygen barriers, they are also used for liquids like milk, wines, and juices.

 

Pyramid Packaging is a value added reseller of flexible pouches and bagging equipment. We offer a variety of flexible pouch sizes, and colors. For more information call 847-272-3400 or click here to email us.

AirPouch EZ-Tear void-fill XD Blend Bio air pillows are engineered using the latest polymer technologies to provide an air pillow with superior physical properties that also promotes sustainability.

Here’s a case where clamshell packaging probably wasn’t the best packaging solution.

Loveshaw’s Case Sealer Trade-In Program

Receive up to $2,000 dollars in savings on the purchase of a new Little David Case Sealer, while upgrading from your existing case sealer.

Any case sealer model will be accepted and Loveshaw will cover the freight.

Total trade-in value is dependent on the model being purchased and the condition of the machine being traded in.

For more information, click here to contact Pyramid Packaging or call us at 800-547-5130.

Packaging films are often used to wrap food related products like produce, meats, candy bars, snack bars, frozen or microwavable  foods. The wrappings are referred to as films.

 

Plastic pellets are heated up, melted and extruded to form the plastic film.  The film can be clear, opaque or high gloss and made from polypropylene, and polyethylene. Some packaging films offer high-barrier properties like laminated metallized films. They provide protective properties for food items requiring restrictive visibility and will increase the product’s shelf-life, and freshness.

 

If you have just created a new food related item and need help selecting the proper type of film packaging then click here to contact Pyramid Packaging Inc or call us 800-547-5130. We are a value added reseller and stocking supplier of flexible supplies, bags, films, equipment and services.
Established in 1968, we have the experience and packaging industry knowledge to solve your packaging needs.

 

 

Our friends at Automated Packaging are getting in the holiday spirit! They are excited about their holiday photo contest, which begins today!! Simply show APS how festive their products can look for your chance to win a $500 Best Buy gift card!! From now until 12/18, send APS a photo of your Autobag bagger or AirPouch void-fill system decorated for the holidays. Or, use Autobag or AirPouch materials to create a holiday decoration. Please email your photo (PNG, JPEG, or GIF file formats only) and full contact information (so we can reach you, in the event you win) to marketingservices@autobag.com.

For official rules, please visit: http://origin.library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1102437388176-123/Official+Contest+Rules-+Holiday+Photo+Promotion+2013+.pdf

Three Trends Shaping Flexible Packaging
Interesting article written by Ron Romanik contributing editor of Packaging World. Trends often come and go before you notice them. Flexible packaging trends seem to have a longer life span than most, signaling that the format is here to stay. Here are some recent and developing trends we’re monitoring.

1. More easy-open, easy-reclose options. A much wider range of opening treatments, fitments, and closures is available today than ever before, including linear tear characteristics, reclosable zippers that don’t require any tearing of the pouch header to open, and screw-on spouts for liquid pouches. Machinery has advanced, too, with increased ability to apply these features in-line during filling and sealing with minimal downtime issues.

 

 

2. Clear high-barrier films. A new generation of clear films and coatings is beginning to approach the barrier properties of foil and metallized films. This provides new opportunities to showcase appetizing products while avoiding the flex-cracking problems associated with foil and some older coating technologies. These structures also offer the potential for microwave-compatible pouches.

 

 

3. Penetration into entirely new categories. Flexible packaging tends to sweep through entire product categories, though admittedly over a period of years. Classic examples include tuna fish and pet food, where retort pouches are now common after decades of can dominance. More recently baby food retort pouches (and thermoformed trays) are replacing glass jars. Flexibles are also being used for home and garden supplies such as fertilizers, where resealability is a key feature.