Times have been quite tough recently. Covid, civil unrest, inflation, climbing food and energy prices, war, world leaders coming and going – it just never seems to end, does it?
Bad news travels fast. And it’s so hard to ignore it. Word of small businesses closing due to rising costs is starting to hammer home just how big the problem is. But sometimes, it’s easy to forget that we live in this amazing world; full of incredible people who are always thinking, building, doing – creating the things we love, and producing the things we need.
Small businesses and local businesses are the bedrock of our communities. Everyone from your local brewer, to the high street print shop, to the small bakery in your neighbourhood – even the little online retailers operating from a garage on your street – these are the people making your area better.
They’re not at odds with big business. Small businesses fill in the gaps, and move at a pace that larger companies simply cannot manage. But on the flipside, they can struggle against large companies with bigger cash reserves when the going gets tough.
So, right now, the best help a small business can get is the help they give themselves; cutting costs, improving efficiency, and maintaining (or exceeding) the level of quality that their customers expect. This goes for everyday operations, too – like packaging. Switching packaging in a small business setup can save huge amounts of time, money, and effort, while improving branding and customer impact.
And polythene bags are just the thing.
The ultimate all-in-one packaging solution?
Versatility makes polythene bags the single best packaging choice for small businesses – especially those still testing their footing with different products, or those with varied product lines.
You can package just about anything in polythene bags, and nothing else. Clothes, food, hardware, artworks, homeware, components… The list goes on. And the bang for your buck is extraordinarily high.
Save time, save resources
Small businesses usually rely on manual or semi-automated packaging processes, and polythene bags are lightning fast when compared to box-building, box sealing, and labelling. What’s more, polythene bags can be coloured and printed, removing the need for any additional labelling, and boosting your brand presence at every stage of product delivery.
This one packaging solution can take the place of three or four separate solutions, and dramatically reduce the time you spend packaging up goods.
Specify your bags with handle holes above the seal – and you’ll save on carrier bags, too.
Protecting your products, and the environment
Polybags offer moisture protection, scratch resistance – and can be custom blended with polythene additives for a million different uses. With the right design, your polybags can carry on working long after your product is sold.
That’s because polythene is incredibly strong compared to other packaging solutions, like paper and card. It takes up less space and weighs less than other types of packaging. And not only are polythene bags cheaper than paper or card – they’re better for the environment, too. Hard to believe?
Well, the truth is, paper bags take 400% more resources to make than polythene bags. They create higher carbon emissions than plastic bags, cannot get wet, cannot effectively be reused and, if they come into contact with food or oil, may not be recyclable at all.
Read more: What Would Happen If We BANNED Plastic Packaging?
Polythene is fully recyclable – and can be produced with recycled material to avoid plastic taxes. Plus, a polythene bag can be reused over and over, until it breaks – and still be recycled. While there are certainly issues with the way some local authorities handle plastic recycling, there’s no other material on Earth that can currently do what we need plastic to do, without being worse for the environment.
Choosing the right thickness
Your polythene bags should ideally be as thin as possible, to save weight and save money – but the right thickness for you depends on what you’re packaging. We’ve put together a guide to polythene thickness which explains how different gauges are suitable for different tasks, to help you choose the right thickness when you buy polythene packaging products.
Polythene bags: better packaging, lower costs
Order polythene bags from NPF Packaging – the polythene packaging experts. Get a quote now, or call us on 01773 820415 to get started.