Despite its frequent usage, plastic flexible packaging has something of a bad reputation these days for being environmentally unfriendly, perhaps even aesthetically unpleasing. These are two unfortunate misconceptions that have been allowed to run a bit too rampant as of late. Plastic and flexible packaging in general are good for a great many things, even the environment. The following reasons explain why flexible packaging and plastic packaging companies are not to be feared!


1) Plastic is Environmentally Friendly


A crazy assertion in this day and age but plastic is actually the earth’s friend (or child, given it is made from chemicals in the earth itself) for the mere fact that it is recyclable. As many as 94% of Americans have recyclable plastic bottles, while 40% can recycle plastic in other forms like with yogurt containers, dairy tubs and so on, according to a 2011 study. Custom food packaging, therefore, is usually a good contender for the recycle bin, so one needn’t worry about waste. Still, any given plastic packaging company will likely be trying to reduce the usage of excess plastic; a one gallon plastic milk jug uses less plastic than 20 years ago, weighing 30% less.


2) Plastic is Useful and Durable


There’s a reason plastic became so widely used and you may be surprised at how little is needed to make quality custom plastic packaging. Only 1.5 pounds of flexible plastic is required to contain 10 gallons of a liquid, while as much as three pounds of aluminum would be needed to accomplish the same thing! Plastic food packaging nowadays is very good at protecting food from contamination, reducing average food waste up to 1.7 pounds! Lastly, plastic is easier transport on account of it being lightweight. As many as 26 truckloads would be needed to carry the same amount of glass as one truckload of plastic.


3) Plastic Is Great for the Economy


It can’t be forgotten that plastic is an essential commodity for economy; without it we would be rid a lot of jobs and money that goes into keeping things afloat. Case in point, the U.S. plastics industry employs about 1,000,000 workers, contributing as much as $375,000,000,000 to the economy- that’s just plastics alone. This is an expectedly growing industry, estimated to rocket from 2012’s figures of $74,000,000 to $100,000,000 in 2018. To nix something so vital to our economy, to available job opportunities would be a fatal error.


Point being, plastic is not something to be feared or reviled or rejected, but rather embraced and accepted into our daily lives with open arms.