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5 reasons why shrink bands are a preferred method for achieving tamper evidence

Admin — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 04:30:00 GMT

In today’s world, ensuring the safety and integrity of products is of paramount importance for both consumers and manufacturers. Tamper evidence plays a crucial role in assuring consumers that the products they purchase have not been tampered with or compromised in any way.

Among various tamper-evident solutions available, shrink bands have emerged as a preferred method due to their effectiveness and versatility. This article explores why shrink bands are widely adopted as a reliable means of achieving tamper evidence.

1. Visual and Physical Confirmation:

Shrink bands provide a clear visual indication of tampering. These bands are applied around the closure of a product, such as a bottle cap or jar lid, and then heated to shrink tightly onto the container. Any attempt to remove or tamper with the closure results in the shrink band breaking or showing signs of damage.

The broken or distorted shrink band acts as an immediate visual cue, alerting both consumers and manufacturers to potential tampering. This visual confirmation helps build trust and ensures product safety.

2. Cost-effective Solution:

Shrink bands are a cost-effective method of achieving tamper evidence. Compared to more complex tamper-evident solutions like holographic labels or specialized closures, shrink bands are relatively inexpensive. They can be produced in large quantities at a low cost, making them an attractive choice for manufacturers, especially for high-volume production lines.

The affordability of shrink bands allows businesses of all sizes to incorporate tamper-evident features into their packaging without significantly impacting their budgets.

3. Versatility and Compatibility:

Shrink bands offer a high level of versatility and compatibility with various packaging formats. They can be used with different closure types, including caps, lids, and corks, making them suitable for a wide range of products across industries such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and more.

Shrink bands can be customized to fit specific container sizes and shapes, ensuring a seamless integration into existing packaging designs. This adaptability allows manufacturers to implement tamper evidence without compromising the overall aesthetics or functionality of their products.

4. Tamper Resistance:

Shrink bands are designed to provide a high degree of tamper resistance. They are typically made from strong, tear-resistant materials such as PVC or PET, which are difficult to remove without leaving visible evidence.

Additionally, the shrink band tightly adheres to the closure and container, creating a secure barrier that is not easily breached. This tamper resistance makes it challenging for unauthorized individuals to tamper with the product and provides an added layer of protection against malicious activities.

5. Consumer Confidence and Compliance:

In an era where consumer trust and safety are paramount, shrink bands help instill confidence in the minds of consumers. The presence of a tamper-evident shrink band assures buyers that the product they are purchasing has passed rigorous quality control measures and has not been tampered with during storage or transit.

Moreover, the use of shrink bands also aids regulatory compliance, as many industries have specific requirements for tamper-evident packaging. By adopting shrink bands, manufacturers can meet these regulatory standards and ensure consumer safety simultaneously.

Shrink bands have emerged as a preferred method for achieving tamper evidence due to their visual and physical confirmation, cost-effectiveness, versatility, tamper resistance, and ability to enhance consumer confidence and compliance. These bands provide a reliable and efficient way to protect products from tampering, safeguarding the integrity and safety of goods while assuring consumers of their quality.

As businesses continue to prioritize consumer trust and product security, shrink bands will remain a valuable tool in the pursuit of tamper-evident packaging solutions.

DCRS Flow Wrap Meat Packaging | C-P Flexible Packaging

Admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 04:45:00 GMT

Meet Elevation Artisan Meats

We recently sat down with Chad Nelan, Owner of Elevation Artisan Meats (Elevation Meats or Elevation Charcuterie). Chad started out his career as a butcher and used that experience to open Elevation Meats, specializing in charcuterie and salami.

Based out of Denver, CO, the company prides itself on sourcing the highest quality ingredients and staying ahead of best practices. Elevation continues to champion the “old” artisan way of creating their products while adhering to the stringent rules of the USDA.

The problem with hand-wrapped packaging

Elevation Meats started out by packaging their meat products by hand rolling them in paper and applying a label. This process would take roughly four minutes per package.

The company had a staff of ~50-60 people hand-rolling salamis at one time to help speed up the process. Nelan mentioned it looked like the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie scene where hundreds of people are seen ripping open candy bars to find the golden ticket. The process wasn’t efficient as it took time and required a lot of workers.

Another issue of having hand-rolled packaging for artisan meats was not having the option for a window. Consumers couldn’t see the product inside the packaging.

How die-cut rollstock improved productivity and branding

Looking for a more efficient way to package their meats, Chad met with C-P Flexible Packaging. He learned about our patented laser die-cut window rollstock technology

(DCRS) and how it could transform his production efficiency and add a window to his packaging. Chad worked with his copacker to utilize a flow-wrapping machine that worked seamlessly with our DCRS material.

After the switch, Elevation Meats saw a significant increase in productivity. With only a couple people operating the machinery, they can produce packaging 8x faster than before. This efficiency change has cut their packaging costs in half.

Before (hand-wrapped)

60 workers needed to produce packaging
4 packages/minute
Packaging costs: $0.29/unit
Extra label needed
No window

After (flow wrap – DCRS)

2 workers needed to produce packaging
32 packages/minute
Packaging costs: $0.14/unit
Clean, professional look and feel
Features a window to show product

Chad admitted he was a bit nervous about consumer reactions to the new packaging. Initial feedback has been positive; his customers love the updated look. The DCRS packaging looks clean and professional, shows the product through a circular die-cut window, and displays great on store shelves.

Watch the full interview

Check out our interview with Chad in The Switch from Hand-wrapped Packaging to Die-cut Window Rollstock for Artisan Meats:

Sustainable Wipes Packaging 101 - C-P Flexible Packaging

Admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 16:15:00 GMT

Regulations and public concerns are two powerful trends driving sustainable packaging. Consumers are increasingly aware that most plastic packaging eventually ends up in a landfill, and recent data shows that consumers prefer sustainable packaging even if it comes at a higher price:

Recyclable stand-up pouches: Mapping out your brand’s path to commercialization

Admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 05:30:00 GMT

2025 is fast approaching, and so are the sustainable packaging goals for major retailers like Walmart and Target. And while many CPG brands have already begun the gradual, SKU-by-SKU transition to recyclable, compostable, or responsibly sourced packaging, many haven’t.

With some sustainable packaging development projects taking north of 12 months, now is the time to turn your brand’s sustainability goals into action if you haven’t already. While many projects can be completed much faster, the sooner you get started, the better.

But where to begin?

Well, we typically recommend starting with an honest conversation about your brand’s goals:

Do you have an internal sustainability plan that you’ve communicated to investors? What sustainability benefit (recyclability, compostability, responsible sourcing) does it emphasize?
What sustainability benefit best fits in with how consumers use your product? What does your target demographic expect from a “sustainable” package?
What story do you want to tell about your brand’s commitment to preserving our planet?

If your brand has yet to have this conversation, an experienced flexible packaging converter can walk you through it. Carry your half of that discussion by asking them these hard-hitting sustainable packaging questions.

This article will map out your path to sustainable packaging commercialization if you’ve:

Already discussed and defined your brand’s goals
Chosen to transition one of your products to a recyclable pouch

Let’s dive in.

Your choice is clear: Mono-material PE pouches

If you’re transitioning a product to recyclable flexible packaging, your choice is clear:

Mono-material polyethylene (PE) pouches or bags.

PE is really the only flexible packaging material type that is compatible with Store Drop-Off recycling programs and is ready to be produced and distributed at scale.

There are thousands of permutations of all-PE packaging films

Just because there’s one material type doesn’t mean you’re limited in terms of performance attributes. By manipulating the gauge, orientation, additive mix, and coatings, you can achieve almost any performance attribute possible with multi-material film laminations.

Gauge — You can increase the barrier and puncture resistance of your all-PE pouch by increasing the gauge, or thickness, of the film. You can also laminate (extrusion or solventless adhesive) several PE films together without impacting the recyclability of your package.

Coating — You can add a metalized coating to your package to enhance the barrier and appearance of your pouch.

Orientation — Orienting PE film, or stretching it in multiple directions, improves its heat resistance, stiffness and clarity.

Film orientors are expensive pieces of equipment, and it used to be that only overseas film suppliers had invested in them. In the last 18 months, our stateside suppliers have made the investment, leading to greater product development innovation geared at recyclability in North America.

PE film technology is improving at an ever-increasing rate and will only improve with time.

Add recloseable features to your recyclable stand-up pouch

Apart from laser scoring, there really aren’t any functional features that you can’t incorporate in your all-PE pouch or rollstock: Windows, zippers, sliders, spouts, peel-and-reseal labels.

And innovations seem to roll in every year.

Last year, we were working with our zipper supplier to modify the chemical makeup of their zippers, so they crush (or apply) with reduced heat and pressure. Because PE isn’t as heat resistant as non-recyclable films like polyester, it runs the risk of deforming when applying the heat necessary to crush the zipper.

Now PE-compatible zippers are a commercial reality, and we played a key role in making that happen. We’re continually working with key suppliers to identify areas for performance improvement surrounding our sustainable packaging products.

Anything is possible. But the limiting factor is your (or your co-packer’s) filling lines.

There is one challenge to all-PE packaging films, and it’s that it lacks the heat resistance of other materials. And, because heat is required to seal and form your pouches, this has very real consequences.

Other packaging materials have a wider operating window in terms of heat and dwell time. They can be run very fast, with relatively wide variability in the amount of heat applied — meaning it can be run successfully on any number of filling lines. This is especially important for large CPGs with a diverse mix of plants and co-packer partners where they form their packaging. They need films that can be run on almost any form/fill/seal lines without issue.

All-PE packaging films, on the other hand, have a very tight operating window. They need just the right amount of heat, and just the right amount of dwell time. Excess heat will deform the package or negatively impact its stiffness.

The moral of the story: You can achieve any aesthetic or functional vision with a recyclable pouch. The only limiting factor is your filling line.

We’ll need to work in tandem with you (or your co-packer) to determine whether equipment adjustments can help you overcome heat-related challenges, and what the optimal equipment settings are.

Comparing commercialization for recyclable pouches vs. bags

There are two formats in which we can deliver all-PE flexible packaging: Fully formed pouches or rollstock.

The difference lies in who makes the finished package:

Pouches — We form the pouches for you on our equipment, and the finished packages are delivered to your facility. All that’s left is filling them with your product.
Rollstock — You or your co-packer will run the rolls of packaging material on your equipment to form, fill, and seal the finished bags.

Pouches are plug-and-play

We have dialed in all equipment settings (heat, dwell time, throughput speed) necessary to form all-PE pouches. When your finished pouches arrive at your facility, they’ve been custom-engineered to meet your performance and aesthetic expectations.

Rollstock requires more upfront testing

You want a commercially viable packaging product that can be produced at scale and without issue. This takes more work to achieve when run on your equipment — especially for CPGs with dozens of plants and several co-packers as in-line testing is required to ensure success.

The more lines that your packaging must run on, the more upfront work will be required to prevent packaging-line problems.

The important role of technical support on your filling lines

If you’re looking to source all-PE rollstock, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of commercialization is your packaging line (or lines, in the case of many CPGs).

We help CPGs and co-packers overcome challenges by providing technical support in the field before, during, and after their sustainable packaging development projects.

Our field tech engineers will visit your facility:

At the outset of the project — To observe how your lines are running today. If we understand the current operating conditions, we can design a package with the performance attributes required to run better on your packaging line.
To monitor tests — Once we engineer a recyclable package for you, we’ll send a field tech engineer to observe initial tests. This allows us to give accurate, in-depth feedback on the test, and make real-time packaging line adjustments to ensure the rollstock runs smoothly on your packaging line.
As quality issues occur — Long after your first order, our field tech engineers remain on standby to fix any quality issues as they occur. To see what the troubleshooting process looks like, check out this article.

We won’t send a field tech engineer if a CPG declines our offer. Otherwise, we aim to provide the support free of charge.

After all, we take single-source responsibility for the success of your packaging initiative. And by providing technical support, we can stack the cards in your favor.

Making the distinction between “recyclable” and “recycle-ready”

There are many underlying motivations to transition to recyclable packaging: Being good stewards of the environment, meeting sustainability deadlines for key retailers, delivering on promises to investors.

And, of course, making a marketing claim about the recyclability of your package is another leading motivation.

Whether on your package or in an advertisement, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has very specific rules about when you can — and can’t — make claims of packaging recyclability, as well as how you should phrase those claims. These rules are concisely detailed in the FTC Green Guides, which you can read here.

The most important rule of thumb?

You can’t make broad claims of recyclability about your package unless a “substantial majority” — defined as 60% — of consumers in your geographic footprint can easily access facilities that will recycle your product. It’s not just about the ability to recycle your product, it’s also about access to recycling infrastructure.

This is why the distinction between “recyclable” and “recycle-ready” is so important.

All our packaging is “recycle-ready;” our packaging is carefully engineered to be recycled through the Store Drop-Off program. Whether or not you can claim that your package is “recyclable” ultimately comes down to the prevalence of recycling infrastructure where you sell your product.

To qualify for an on-package Store Drop-Off label, your brand will need to join How2Recycle and submit your pouch or bag for a recyclability assessment. We’ll assist you through this process in whatever way you need.

Choose a SKU and get started

2025 is coming whether your brand is prepared or not. And while it can be a long, uphill climb to commercialize recyclable packaging (or compostable or responsibly sourced, for that matter), taking the first step will ensure you’re ready when retailers stop accepting non-sustainable packages.

Start small. Maybe just one SKU. Proving it’s possible to run sustainable packaging for your products, in your plant, is the hard part — from there, it’ll be a lot easier to make the leap for the rest of your product families.

Ready to make the switch?

It won’t be easy, which means it’s all the more important to choose the right packaging partner. Reach out to our team today to have an open, honest conversation about whether we’re a fit for your next sustainable packaging project.

Redesign Flexible Packaging For Sustainability & Shelf Appeal

Admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 16:15:00 GMT

Brands don’t update their packaging without a reason — often it’s to drive sales, grow market share, create renewed interest or provide your consumers with convenient functionality.

Cut Flexible Packaging Costs & Eliminate Delivery Issues

Admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 16:45:00 GMT

It’s simple. You need your packaging when you need it—not a day late, and not a month early—all at an optimized, fair market price. It’s critical that you maintain service to your customers, avoiding empty shelves, lost revenues, or damaged credibility. And, this should all be accomplished without carrying excessive inventories of packaging film.

Fixing Flexible Packaging Performance & Print-Quality Problems

Admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 16:15:00 GMT

There’s a laundry list of potential operational, performance, and print-quality issues you can experience with flexible packaging:

The benefits of reclose technology - C-P Flexible Packaging

Admin — Wed, 06 May 2020 16:15:00 GMT

Also known as peel and reseal packaging, “reclose” is a term commonly used in the packaging or food industry to refer to the easy-open packaging commonly found holding cookies.

How To Choose A Cold-Seal Supplier | C-P Flexible Packaging

Admin — Tue, 05 May 2020 16:15:00 GMT

It’s hard to find a reliable flexible packaging converter. There are more than 400 that would love to take your business, all touting the very best “service, price, and quality.”

Short-Run Cold-Seal Packaging | C-P Flexible Packaging

Admin — Mon, 04 May 2020 16:15:00 GMT

Perhaps the simplest way to introduce cold-seal packaging is by comparing it to its old-guard counterpart: Heat-seal packaging.