Stand-up pouches are one of the fastest growing pack types, perceived by many consumers as premium packaging. In 2014, Schönwald Consulting estimated that in the year 2018 in Europe almost 45 billion stand-up pouches would be used… This mark had already been exceeded in 2017. According to Schönwald’s latest study (‘The Market for Stand-Up Pouches in Western, Central and Eastern Europe 2017 to 2020 - Consumption, Spouts, Sales and Outlook’) by 2017, 45.7 billion stand-up pouches were used Europe-wide – almost one billion more than forecast, and representing 17-fold growth in the European market since the beginning of its rise in the mid-1990s. Packaging Europe spoke to some of the key players in the sector to find out about the core drivers of innovation and how they are addressing increased challenges in the field.
Trends pushing innovation
In food and beverage, parents are seeking mess-free, fast, yet healthy ways to feed their children, according to Johannes Braun, segment marketing manager, Amcor. “This especially has driven the demand for convenient, healthy, on-the-go products for children, such as fruit puree and dairy based drinks in spouted pouches.”
In the category of home and personal care, he adds, “pouches are having an increasing importance as re-fill packaging. Increasingly, the consumer buys the traditional rigid container or bottle with pump once and then buy re-fill product in stand-up-pouches.”
He also highlights accelerated lifestyles (long working hours, lengthy commutes) and increase of one-person households are driving the demand for convenience, individual portions and recloseable packaging.
Laurent Chantraine, market development manager, Jindal Films, points to portability, convenience (ease of opening and reclosing), shelf display (stand-up, stiffness) and differentiation (compared to vertical bags) as some of the key drivers pushing innovation in pouches.
Pouches typically have a lower total carbon footprint then alternatives and its lighter weight delivers supply chain advantages for manufacturers. However, there is also growing pressure from consumers for pouches to be recyclable according to Paul Tatarka, market development manager, TOPAS advanced polymers.
Shelf-presence
As a clear example of differentiating on-shelf, snacks and nuts are moving from standard pillow bags to stand-up-pouches to gain better shelf presence.
Amcor recently worked with a customer on a new Doypack for a brand of loose tea using its AmLite metal-free high barrier laminate. In order to be differentiated in the market, the idea was to switch from the quadropack structure the customer had been using to a Doypack with a transparent window, all without compromising barrier strength.
In addition to a unique packaging shape for tea that would stand out in the Eastern European market, AmLite’s transparent solution now allows consumers to see the tea inside at points of purchase, to better judge product quality.
In the home and personal care category, Amcor also realises on-shelf differentiation through providing a 3D-effect on transparent stand up pouches. It is achieved by printing a design on the front of the pack that’s registered to a graphics printed on the back-interior of the pack. When viewed on the shelf through the transparent front, the two designs create a 3D-like effect.
Growing variety equals increased challenges
On top of visual appearance to support promotion, the proliferation of SUP formats across numerous market segments is elevating the importance of having different barrier technologies to provide protection, and stiffness requirements for performance.
Jindal Films has observed an increasing number of format (sizes, shapes), aspects (clear, white and metallised) and production methods (pre-made, horizontal and Vertical FFS) resulting in more complexity in the types of laminates being used.
In response to these market demands, Jindal Films has developed PE and PP based film solutions with (e.g. metallisation) or without barrier to cater to the needs of the different segments.
Laurent Chantraine, market development manager, shares the biggest challenge facing the SUP segment as, “the need to move towards mono-material structures, which is inherently difficult due to the processing methods in place and the large use of PET base laminates for easier processing (heat resistance).”
Reducing complexity
Reducing the complexity of the structures (moving from 3-ply to 2-ply) and driving slowly but steadily towards mono-material solutions (e.g. all PP laminates) is a strong focus for Jindal Films. The ability to enhance stiffness with biaxially oriented materials (BOPP, BOPE) compared to conventional cast or blow sealants (CPP, PE), allows the industry to still significantly reduce the packaging weight, especially in the field of SUP.
“We are developing a range of products aimed at the pouch segment, delivering improved barrier, ease of opening (tear), lower cost and improved sustainability (reduced total thickness of laminate) over current typical structure,” Laurent Chantraine shares.
The range of BOPPE and BOPE films also address other market needs. “SUP formats are more subject to pressure, long dwell time and excessive heat in the sealing areas due to gusset folds in the seals and the common usage of zippers and fitments. This presents us with a challenge to redesign the laminates with thinner and more simple structures (2-ply) in our attempts to drive out cost.”
Jindal Films Bicor 50SUP490 is a high clarity stiff OPP film aimed at replacing thicker PE films and reduce the thickness of the sealant by >20 per cent in some dry food segments (e.g. confectionery) where SUP formats are still growing. It delivers better clarity, improves puncture resistance and stiffness over existing solutions, enabling clean tear propagation from a notch without resorting to laser scoring. A range of oriented PE films SealTOUGH XE400 (clear) and XE447 (white) have also been developed for more demanding sealing requirements which also benefit from the ease of tear from a notch.
Exploring new structures and materials
A study conducted by TOPAS Advanced Polymers reveals that discrete layers of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) provide significant performance enhancements in three- and five-layer packaging film structures made of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). The findings were recently shared by Paul Tatarka, market development manager for TOPAS Advanced Polymers.
Via design of experiments (DOE) methods, TOPAS researchers demonstrated that COC provides greater than expected toughness, strength, stiffness, and appearance (low haze) in multilayer packaging structures made of LLDPE. “We found that by splitting COC into at least two layers in five-layer structures, further significant property enhancements are possible without changing COC content,” explained Tatarka. He adds TOPAS COC ®polymers deliver winning tear properties, stiffness and strength, and a noticeable enhancement in sealing properties.
Feldmuehle Uetersen GmbH has focused on launching a heat-sealable paper solution. The coated flexible packaging paper with a heat-sealable reverse side can be easily used on existing packaging lines and can be recycled in the waste paper cycle. This provides brand owners with a natural and recyclable material option, which can be used in form-, fill- and seal packing lines similar to plastic films. Available with a high white, glossy or matt surface, the product is suitable for high-quality printed packaging as well as for simple inner pouch solutions.
“For applications which don’t require a barrier function from the material, our product offers an environmentally friendly alternative, made primarily from cellulose instead of plastics,” explains Stefan Eitze, technical marketing manager at Feldmuehle. The material gets its sealing functionality during the paper production process with a water-based dispersion coating applied. It is re-pulpable in the waste paper recycling process, so that the raw materials can be reused.”
