Flexible packaging has caught up to rigid formats on performance. Here's where the gains land for Food & Beverage operations and how to put flexibles to work.
Why Flexible Packaging Is Gaining Momentum in Food & Beverage
Consumer demand for packaging convenience, recyclability and reduced material waste is changing what F&B brands look for in packaging. Regulatory pressure is increasing — seven U.S. states have enacted EPR legislation with producer fees taking effect in 2026. With freight and material costs still elevated as well, every pound removed from a shipment carries direct financial impact.
By design, flexible packaging has inherently offered advantages on weight, material use and freight costs. More recently, shelf life performance and durability has improved through experimentation with new chemistry formulations – meaningfully improving how flexibles hold up in F&B production.
Leading F&B brands are already making this move.
Understanding the shift comes down to three things: what's changed in formulations, where the operational gains land and how to put flexibles to work in your line.
What Innovation Has Made Possible
Flexible films can now consistently deliver where it matters most: barrier protection against moisture, grease and oxygen; durability; sealability and format innovation that's expanded its packaging possibilities. Along with the sustainability benefits of flexibles, the impact potential on any operation has increased significantly. Preserved shelf life, more consistent throughput, greater consumer convenience and packaging that helps brands hit their environmental goals can now all be expectations. The question is no longer whether flexible packaging can meet the spec. For many F&B applications, it already does.
The Benefits
Beyond shelf life performance gains, flexibles are bringing real value to operations. Most notably, in three key areas:
- Reduced material usage and waste. A 2024 Pregis IQ study quantified the material efficiency profile of flexible packaging at an average 70% less material usage, a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and 55% less fossil fuel consumption.
- Lower transportation impact. Less material per unit flows through to every shipment: more product per truck, fewer shipments and less warehouse space, with lower freight costs along the way.
- Increased Efficiency. Flexible film runs efficiently through form-fill-seal equipment, supporting consistent uptime and throughput mid-shift. For high-volume F&B operations, the compounding efficiency shows up clearly in output.
A Practical Example
For F&B applications where sustainability is a priority, the Pregis Performance Flexibles Renew™ Series is one example of what’s possible. These PE films are designed to be incorporated into mono-material structures ultimately supporting store drop-off recyclability and can be paired with post-consumer recycled content (PCR) to reduce reliance on virgin resins. These solutions additionally offer sealing at low temperatures and strong seal performance, which translates to consistent throughput on form-fill-seal lines; all while avoiding leaks.
How to Bring Flexibles to Your Operation
Bringing flexibles into an F&B line starts with the application, not the material. What’s being packaged, how it ships, what shelf life it needs to hold and what sustainability targets it has to meet. Those answers shape which structure fits.
The performance case for flexible packaging is increasingly clear. The data is there, market signals point the same way and more F&B brands are starting to act on it. The next step is determining if flexible packaging can work harder for your brand.
Take a closer look at the full range of flexible packaging capabilities from Pregis to see what fits your line.
To talk through your specific application, connect with Pregis today.
