Flexible packaging – indispensable for stockkeeping in the Corona crisis
In Switzerland and many other countries, the Corona pandemic is bringing public life to a virtual standstill, imposing enormous challenges on business and politics. Shopping trends are changing, too. Instead of with fresh products, shopping carts are being filled with less perishable products. Many people are opting for home delivery instead of going to stores themselves. Flexible packaging that keeps contents protected against harmful factors is indispensable in this situation.
Why flexible packaging is so important now
The Corona crisis is forcing us to rethink habits. Before the outbreak, many people went to the grocery store every couple of days to stock up on fresh products. Now, most of them go shopping at most once a week. This is why shopping carts are clearly fuller than before and the focus is on durable products such as convenience meals, pasta, and soups. Although the supply situation is not expected to deteriorate, many consumers are purchasing staples that allow them to subsist a few weeks in the case of emergencies. To prevent premature spoilage of such emergency inventories, foods must be optimally packaged.
Apart from foods, the demand for various cosmetic products is higher than prior to the Coronavirus outbreak. Bottlenecks are occurring, not only with toilet paper. Many shelves normally stocked with refill pouches for liquid soaps are now empty. Although stocks will be replenished post-Corona at the latest, demand will not quickly drop back to habitual levels. At least for a certain period of time, the realisation that washing one’s hands just once more often and more thoroughly will remain on consumers’ minds. High consumption also increases the demand for packaging material.
How flexible packaging protects food
In view of the fact that the abolishment of packaging was still being debated a few months ago, the current situation makes us relieved that it exists. Because without suitable packaging, many food products would spoil more quickly. Of the roughly four billion tonnes of food produced worldwide, only about a third is actually consumed. The remainder spoils and is discarded.
Flexible packaging keeps unused food tightly sealed, protecting the products – depending on requirements – against moisture, UV radiation, germs, mildew, and other harmful effects. This assures that the shelf life of the packaged products can be extended across a very long period of time.
Apart from its protective function, flexible packaging has further advantages. One advantage is extended longevity and reduced vulnerability to damage as compared with hard packaging. Since supermarket shelves are quickly cleared out in epidemic times, they also have to be refilled more frequently. If a flexibly packaged item should be inadvertently dropped, nothing usually happens. But hard packaging might sustain damage when dropped, ruining the integrity of the product.
Low weight is another benefit: flexible packaging hardly contributes to storage, distribution, and shipping costs. Additionally, minimised packaging material minimises packaging waste.
Why makers of food packaging and medical products should be viewed as prioritised industries
In the context of the Corona crisis, flexible packaging is highly significant for packaging food and medication. It assures that food, drugs, and medical protective items are well protected en route and arrive intact at the destination. To prevent packaging-related bottlenecks, production must be classified as system-relevant and take into consideration any decisions on quarantine regimes, freedom of movement for employees and plant closures. Furthermore, official evidence of a system-relevant function should allow at least production workers to continue their activities as long as there are no reasons for domestic quarantine.
We are continuing our production of flexible packaging with no quality compromise
For weeks, we have been monitoring the current developments involving COVID-19, generally referred to as the Coronavirus. Wipf AG initiated all necessary measures (hygiene, social distancing, shift work, etc.) at an early stage and developed the emergency rules specified by our pandemic outbreak plan in order to be able to continue manufacturing flexible packaging in sufficient quantities. As a manufacturer of food, non-food, and medical packaging, we spare no effort to remain productive as rigorously and as efficiently as possible.
We are dedicated to safeguarding your health, that of our employees and that of their families. At the same time, we are committed to maintaining production at Wipf AG and to offering our customers the high level of service to which they are accustomed. Unfortunately, we cannot prevent delays from occurring in shipping, especially in cross-border traffic. However, we are in constant contact with our logistics partners and drivers on site and will gladly inform you of the current status.
Together, we will master the Corona crisis. Thank you for your understanding. Stay safe!
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Yours, Wipf AG
T +41 44 947 22 11 | info@wipf.ch