Benefits of Plastic Packaging

Plastic is the commonly used material for packaging. It is used in a wide variety of products ranging from beauty products to personal care products. What makes plastic the most preferred choice of packaging globally is its benefits, which are discussed below:

Increased food safety and shelf life

Plastics create a natural barrier against moisture and oxygen transmission. They ensure freshness and protection to the contents for a prolonged period.

Reduced environmental impact

Plastics are lightweight; therefore, they have a high product to package ratio. The impact and scratch resistant features will result in lower breakage levels causing less wastage. Plastics are also recyclable and have lower energy requirements for production. Plastics manufacturing also has reduced carbon dioxide emissions, solid waste generation, and pollution.

Versatility

As plastics are highly versatile, they can be moulded into desirable shapes. The scope for innovation is more. Plastics can be made resealable and reusable, and are easy to carry store, and clean.

Not always an alternative to paper

Though the paper packaging is highly beneficial for certain items such as flour or sugar, there are some products where paper cannot be used. For several safety reasons, items like toothpaste, milk, hand wash and shampoo need to be packaged in chemical-resistant plastics.

Cost-effective

Plastic packaging is inexpensive when compared to other materials. Due to the light weight feature, plastic also saves shipping and transportation costs.

Though there are several concerns regarding the safety of plastics, However, eliminating it from the packaging industry is almost impossible. Therefore, governments can invest in developing more environment-friendly plastic, which would help minimise the health hazards associated with it.