Pouch packaging: a growing, evolving trend According to a report by Smithers-Pira, the global pouch packaging market will reach $19 billion by 2021 up from a projected $15 billion in 2016 – a compound annual growth rate of 4.6%. In India, the flexible packaging segment is estimated to be growing at over 35% annually, mainly driven by the food and the pharmaceutical sectors.
The large and growing Indian middle class, along with the growth in organized retailing in the country are fuelling growth in the flexible packaging industry. Another factor, which has provided substantial stimulus to the packaging industry, is the rapid growth of exports, which requires superior packaging standards for the international market. Pouch packaging vs. Rigid packaging Flexible pouch packaging scores over traditional rigid packaging in different ways: Barrier properties Flexible packaging offers companies the ability to customise the appropriate barrier for their product and end-use. For example, products such as juice and milk require an oxygen barrier. Other products may not. A flexible pouch can have specific barrier properties built into it. For years, aluminium foil was used as the ultimate barrier material but when used in the increasingly popular stand-up pouch, the foil can crack leading to pinholes that let contaminants in. New materials have been developed to replace foil.
