Flexible packaging · Material selection
Flexible Packaging Materials — A Selection Guide Built on Data, Not Slogans
Choosing a packaging material is an engineering trade-off: barrier against cost, stiffness against sealability, recycled content against clarity. This guide compares the five material families we manufacture — with typical performance values, honest limitations and the applications each one actually suits.
How to use this guide
How to Read This Guide — Material × Performance × Application
Because we run our own pelletizing and film-blowing lines, we control raw-material quality from recycled flake to finished film — so the properties you specify are the properties you receive. Every figure on this page is either a measured LiHai production parameter or a conservative industry-typical range. Nothing here is a marketing claim.
The fastest way to shortlist a material is to answer three questions in order:
What must the pack protect against?
Moisture, oxygen, grease, light or physical puncture — this decides your barrier class.
How will it be packed and displayed?
High-speed filling lines need a wide sealing window; shelf display needs stiffness and print quality.
What must you report?
EU PPWR recycled-content targets, UK plastic packaging tax, compostability claims — compliance narrows the field quickly.
The matrix below maps each material family onto those three questions. Follow the links for full technical detail on each material.
Compare the five families
Material Comparison Matrix — Typical Values at a Glance
| Material | Recycled content | Barrier class | Seal window | Stiffness / clarity | Best-fit applications |
| Recycled PE (rPE) | 30–100% PCR (GRS TE-00057717) | High moisture / low oxygen | Wide, forgiving | Soft, translucent | Mailers, courier bags, shopping bags, industrial liners |
| Recycled PP (rPP) | 30–100% PCR where feedstock allows | Moderate moisture / low oxygen | Narrower, higher temp | Stiff, lower clarity | Garment bags, document sleeves, rigid-feel retail bags |
| Kraft paper laminate | Paper layer + film; PCR film option | Moderate moisture & grease | Dependent on sealant layer | Stiff, natural print base | Gift bags, food-adjacent packs, premium retail |
| PLA biodegradable | Bio-based, industrial-compostable grades | Moderate, lower heat tolerance | Low-temperature sealing | Stiff, gloss | Compostable retail & food bags, short shelf-life goods |
| Multi-layer coex | PCR content in core layers possible | High O₂ & moisture with EVOH/PA | Wide, engineered per structure | Engineered per layer | Food-grade packaging, vacuum packs, heavy-duty industrial |
Typical values — customizable to spec. Final parameters are confirmed against your product, filling line and test protocol.
Vertical integration
Why Vertical Integration Matters for Material Choice
Material data sheets only hold if the feedstock is consistent. LiHai converts recycled resin into film under one quality system — no brokered resin, no batch-to-batch drift.
- 2 in-house pelletizing lines + 2 film-blowing lines — recycled flake to finished film, controlled end to end
- Film thickness 50–80 µm typical; slitting 800–1300 mm; 8 printing presses (including one 10-colour line) carry your artwork onto any of the five material families
- GRS Scope Certificate TE-00057717 · OEKO-TEX SH003 168118 · SMETA audit ZC5000065444
- Documentation prepared for FDA food-contact, REACH, EuCertPlast and EU PPWR 2030/2040 recycled-content reporting
- Substituting 1 t of virgin PE with recycled content avoids roughly 2.6 t of CO₂e (industry estimate)
Decision shortcuts
Decision Shortcuts by Application
- E-commerce mailers / courier bags → recycled PE, 50–80 µm, self-seal strip
- Retail shopping & carrier bags → recycled PE, or kraft laminate for a premium look
- Food-grade pouches → multi-layer coex (FDA-compliant structures) or PLA for compostable claims
- Garment & textile packaging → recycled PP for stiffness, or rPE for cost
- Heavy-duty industrial liners → multi-layer coex or heavy-gauge rPE
Not sure? Send us the product weight, filling method and target market — an engineer replies within one working day with a material recommendation and typical-value data sheet.
Buyer questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Our recycled-content range is 30–100% PCR under GRS Scope Certificate TE-00057717, and we prepare documentation aligned to PPWR 2030/2040 reporting requirements. We already supply packaging into UK supermarket programmes and European retail systems.
Start with barrier. If your product needs moisture protection only, rPE is the lower-cost, lower-carbon choice. If you need oxygen barrier, vacuum capability or aroma retention, a coex structure with PA or EVOH layers is required. Our engineers will map your shelf-life target to a structure before quoting.
They are typical values — the conservative mid-range of what we routinely produce — not guaranteed maxima. Final parameters are confirmed against your product, filling line and agreed test protocol, and pre-production samples are available on standard lines free of charge.
Get started
Request a Material Recommendation
Send us your product, filling method and target market — an engineer replies within 1 working day.
Certification package (GRS / OEKO-TEX / SMETA) delivered within 24 hours of enquiry.