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Master Sustainable Flexible Plastics Packaging: Solve Material, Technical & Cost Challenges

Master Sustainable Flexible Plastics Packaging: Solve Material, Technical & Cost Challenges
Language: English
Length: 90 min
Oct 27, 2025 03:00 PM
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Course Description

Are your flexible plastics packaging designs failing sustainability tests?


Many flexible plastics packaging solutions struggle with recyclability, lightweighting, or switching to bio-based options – leading to higher costs, compliance issues, and negative environmental impact. Design complexities, material selection challenges, and regulatory pressures (EPR laws) make achieving sustainability a daunting task. But it doesn't have to be this way. .


Our course helps you avoid these challenges with a clear, actionable approach. You will gain a deep understanding of the sustainability principles specific to flexible plastics packaging – from choosing the right plastics, polymer, resin materials to designing for recyclability, compostability, and minimal environmental impact.

This course delivers on its promise through:


  • Strategic Material Selection: Learn how to choose the right materials based on key factors (dimensional stability, thermal stability, bubble stability during film blowing etc.)
  • Practical Insights: Real-world examples, case studies, and hands-on strategies to solve your flexible packaging challenges.
Intermediate
Level
Barry A. Morris
Barry A. Morris
0 courses

Barry A. Morris retired from Dow as an R&D Fellow with over 35 years of experience in material science, extrusion and packaging innovation and technology. He held a variety of technology roles supporting the ethylene copolymer business at Dow (formerly DuPont). Barry is a holder of 12 U.S. granted patents and has written for over 125 publications, including his recently published 2nd edition to his comprehensive book, The science and technology of flexible packaging (Elsevier, 2022). He excels at applying scientific principles to complex technical issues and explaining it in a way that the practitioner can understand and use. In 2022 he formed BA Morris Consulting LLC to continue to offer his expertise to the packaging and plastics industries. In 2022 he also assumed the role of Chief Technology Advisor at VOID Technologies, a company developing solutions for more sustainable packaging.

Barry is the recipient of several industry awards including Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), SPE’s Bruce Maddock award for advances in extrusion technology, TAPPI’s Rohm & Haas Prize for technical contributions to the paper and plastics converting industry, and DuPont’s Pederson Medal for outstanding technical accomplishments. He has a leadership role in the SPE Flexible Packaging and Extrusion divisions and helps organize their technical conferences. He is also on the editorial boards of two leading technical journals.

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Why should you view this course?

If you’re responsible for designing, selecting, or using flexible plastics packaging materials, this course is your blueprint for success. It empowers you to make informed decisions that align with sustainability goals without sacrificing performance or profitability. 

Join this course to: 

  1. Master Sustainability Principles: Understand the critical aspects of recyclability, lightweighting, and bio-based design, enabling you to innovate with confidence.

  2. Design with Practicality: Learn how to replace multi-material plastics packaging with recyclable, single-material solutions that meet industry standards.

  3. Achieve Sustainability Targets without Compromise: Balance eco-friendly design with critical performance aspects like transparency, print quality, and gloss, abuse resistance… etc.

  4. Stay Ahead of Trends: Get up-to-date knowledge of market and regulatory trends, ensuring your packaging solutions are future-proof.

Who should join this course?

  • Complete the course and (unlock your personalized certificate)– your badge of accomplishment awaits!

  • Professional in flexible packaging industry seeking knowledge for sustainable solutions.

  • Packaging Designers and Engineers looking to address their challenges.

  • Sustainability Managers seeking practical strategies to shift to sustainable packaging.

  • R&D and Innovation Teams focused on creating sustainable packaging alternatives.

  • This course is suitable for intermediate level proficiency
    Intermediate
Questions you will be able to answer after this course:

  1. How do I make my flexible packaging recyclable without compromising performance?

  2. What are the best alternatives to complex multi-material laminates?

  3. How can I reduce cost while moving to more sustainable solutions?

  4. Which materials are truly recyclable or compostable and accepted by recyclers?

Course Outline

Introduction

Function of flexible packaging 

Evolution to multi-layer, multi-material design 

Flexible packaging sustainability positives and negatives 

Design for sustainability has several goals 

Market and regulatory trends around sustainability 

Challenges for recycling flexible packaging 

  1. Collection and sorting 
  2. Types of recycling 
  3. Markets for recycling 

Design for sustainability

Light weighting (reducing material usage)

  1. New tools for using less material

Incorporating post-consumer recycle (PCR) into flexible packaging

  1. Supply issues
  2. Quality concerns
  3. Loss of mechanical properties
  4. Regulatory compliance issues

Design for mechanical & chemical recycle

  1. Guidelines for designing for PE-recyle stream

Case study: Replacing OPET in stand-up pouch

  1. Motivation: OPET is incompatible with PE
  2. Function of OPET and properties needed in replacement
  3. Design concepts

Challenges and solutions

  1. Stiffness
  2. Heat seal
  3. Film handling (blocking, high COF)
  4. Aesthetics
  5. Oxygen barrier
  6. Other

Design for composting

  1. Bio-based vs. biodegradable polymers: definitions and examples
  2. Composting vs. biodegrading
  3. Characteristics of commonly available compostable materials
  4. Package formulation design for compositing concepts

Factors that affect material choice

New resin considerations: performance and processing

Process considerations that limit material choice

  1. Dimensional stability
  2. Thermal stability during film converting
  3. Flow stability during film converting
  4. Bubble stability during film blowing
  5. Coextrusion flow instability

Additives to mitigate performance and process issues

Conclusion & Key Takeaways

Real-world commercial example:

  1. Kellogg’s Bear Naked Granola
  2. Pepsico (Frito-Lay) salty snack bags

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Prerequisites for this course

It would be beneficial to have some prior knowledge of:

  • Materials commonly used in flexible packaging (e.g., PE, PP, PET, EVOH, etc.)
  • Insight into barrier properties, sealability, shelf life, and mechanical strength in packaging applications.
30 min Q & As for this course
Interact directly with your tutor and clarify your doubts
  1. 30 mins per session for Questions and Answers
  2. Clarify your doubts.
  3. If your questions are not answered, dont worry you will recieve tutor’s reply via email after sessions.
Master Sustainable Flexible Plastics Packaging: Solve Material, Technical & Cost Challenges
€299
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