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The International
Group of Companies
A Market Leader in Plastic Textiles

Plastic Packaging

Versatile Plastic Packaging

Plastic packaging is widely used throughout the world in one form or another. There are many different types to choose from depending on what it is being used for. Most people would list the bags we receive at the supermarket as the best example of plastic packaging. There are, in fact, many other types that we encounter and utilise on a daily basis. Examples include the packaging that holds your beverages or your favourite snacks.

Plastic has become the main packaging choice for many businesses. Its versatility means that not only can the strength be varied according to the designated load, but it can also be branded effectively. Careful consideration should be given to the selection of plastic packaging best suited to your product.

Soft Plastic Bags

For quite some time, retailers have been using bags to do more than simply package good. Since they are so easily branded and are available in a range of different colours, grocery bags have become a form of mobile advertising. Different supermarkets use distinctively different bags so as not to be confused with their rivals, to the extent that one can identify a store from a distance just by recognising the colours and branding of their shopping bags.

soft plastic bagsEven though these soft bags appear generic, there are differences between them. The greater the load to be carried, the thicker the bag will be. The thickness of bags is measured in microns. For example, a bag designed to carry 1kg will have an average thickness of 35 microns while one that is built to carry 10kg will be in the range of 75 microns. Ice bags are an excellent example of purpose built bags. Even though their size is not much greater than that of an ordinary grocery bag, they are designed to carry a lot more weight and will have a thickness of around 100 microns.

The shape of soft plastic bags also depends on their intended purpose. A bag used in the linen industry will be wider than in the food industry. Still, their thickness will not differ much because, despite a bulkier load, the weight carried by these two bags will be relatively similar.

Quality Packaging is the Way Forward

A few years ago, it became a trend for supermarkets to use low-quality bags because they were only meant to transport goods from the store to the home. This led to massive amounts of harmful waste being generated. Government stepped in and passed a law stipulating that consumers should pay a levy for all supermarket bags. Collaboration between government and bag manufacturers has seen the quality of bags greatly improve so that they can be reused by consumers for shopping or in their homes.

Another benefit of retailers moving to a higher quality of plastic packaging is that they avoid the risk of bags splitting under the weight of their contents. This would be bad for business. In these instances, as a retailer, you would have two choices, to either refund goods damaged or risk damaging your store’s reputation among consumers. It should also not be overlooked that by spending a bit more on sturdy bags, retailers are going  a long way to reducing the carbon footprint associated with the packaging industry.

High-quality bags have a number of additional uses unrelated to shopping. Although they can be used to transport and store goods, South Africans have found alternative uses that are quite unique. Entrepreneurs have devised ways to turn ordinary bags into arts and crafts. These include placemats, figurines and even items of clothing.

Choose your Supplier Wisely

As demonstrated, the variety of uses for plastic bags requires a large selection of packaging options. Butchers need different types of packaging to bakers who, in turn, could never use a standard grocery bag. Retailers choose suppliers based on strict criteria, including selection, pricing and logistics. With more than six decades in the packaging industry, our production system at the International Group of Companies is highly efficient, allowing us to charge competitive prices and to offer our customers a wide range of packaging options. This has made our established company the preferred supplier of plastic packaging for businesses throughout South Africa.