A flexible pouch called pacXpert and promoted by Dow Chemical under licence from Smart Bottle Inc USA, will enable the transition from larger rigid containers to flexible packaging options. Also shown at interpack in May, Dow was using TokyoPack as a gateway for promoting the concept into the Asia Pacific market.
Hideki Ozawa, value chain manager for packaging and specialty plastics at Dow Chemical told PKN that numerous enquiries at Tokyo Pack had come from the B2B sector, where companies involved in food service and manufacturing saw the value of using the pacXpert container as an easy to handle ingredient dispensing system. Of course, there are also B2C applications where edible and non-edible products, typically packed in bulk, would benefit from the system. What makes this pouch so handy for precise pouring/dispensing is the handle on the base as well as the top. And its flat bottom makes it easy to store.
It also offers a reclosable cap and different fitment options for a variety of dispensing and reclosing systems.
The pouch structure with broad ‘billboard’ space offers good branding real estate; graphic design options include four printable sides and see through windows.
Size range for pacXpert is from 1 to 20 litres.
On the sustainability scorecard, fewer raw materials are used to make this pouch than to make other rigid packaging alternatives. The empty pouches can be shipped flat, increasing transport efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions
The pouch structure also makes it easy to empty all of the contents out of the container, reducing waste.
After opening, the flexible pouch can be compacted as its contents are dispensed. This has four key benefits: reduces the spaces required for storage; can help prolong the shelf-life of air-sensitive products; improves the ease of dispensing; and allows easy visual identification of the amount of product left.
Hideki Ozawa told PKN that Dow has global exclusivity on pacXpert, and is sublicensing the technology to converters who can promote it in their markets.
