Confectioners move for clear pack films

Speaking to ConfectioneryNews from the Pack Expo show floor in Las Vegas, Mark Brogan, director of technology and innovation at Printpack said see-through packs were conventionally made with different coated polyester films such as silicon oxide and aluminium oxide, but also with cheaper polypropylene.

“There’s a long track record with polyester, so from a quality standpoint I would say go with polyester. Polypropylene is a little more cost effective, but the history is not there and one mistake can take care of those cost savings.”​

Clear packaging trend in confectionery​

He said the use of clear packaging was growing fast in the industry.

“You can see it on the shelf and you can see when someone has a real quality or unique shape. Consumers can actually see that and they don’t need to see the picture.”​

More expensive, but costs coming down​

Brogan said these packs were mainly being used by premium confectioners at present as they were still quite expensive - usually around 20% more than metalized polyester.

“I think you’re going to see that cost difference continue to come down. We’re working hard with our suppliers to find a more economical solution, so it is very similar to a metalized film and at that point I think it will open up the whole market.”​

“What you are going to see more and more of is high barrier, high clarity packaging. So you can actually see the product in a lot of cases, but you can still have the high barrier to keep the freshness.”​