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In the News: The Rise of the Refill

Glenroy® was recently featured in Packaging Technology Today. Spouted pouches are a sustainable option that supports the circular economy. Learn more about the rise of refill spouted pouches below.

“As brands in the personal care and household products industries plan new product launches or try to invigorate an established product line, choosing refillable spouted pouches can be a game changer. Until recently, refillable pouches were simply an afterthought. But with the rise of eco-conscious consumers, refill spouted pouches are now considered an essential part of moving toward a circular economy.

Choosing premade spouted pouches can be a natural choice for many brands because typically, cost of entry is affordable, product scrap waste is lower, and more pouch features are available. Also, premade spouted pouches are manufactured by experts in flexible packaging — many of whom are continually investing in new materials and pouching technology — and they can guide brands through the process from concept to commercialization.

Benefits drawing brands to refillable spouted pouches include:

  • Completing the circle – Not only do refillable pouches reduce plastic use (up to 80% less plastic used vs comparable rigid plastic bottles), but they can be made with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. This reduces the plastic use even further and establishes the circularity in the circular economy, providing another stream for recycled plastic.
  • Better carbon footprint – Beyond using less plastic, the lighter weight of a refill spouted pouch drives reduced fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. One truckload of unfilled pouches can be the same as up to 26 trucks of unfilled rigid bottles according to the Flexible Packaging Association.
  • eCommerce friendly – in addition to the circular economy benefits above, refill spouted pouches are tested and constructed in a way that they can stand up to the rigors of the transportation requirements of eCommerce, thus reducing product waste and returns.
  • Millennials are “flexible packaging natives” who grew up seeing juice in pouches, and they are more accepting of pouches than any preceding generation.

Read the full article in Packaging Technology Today