Austrian packaging solutions provider Starlinger has developed an Easy Open feature for its patented PP STAR pinch bottom bags and is extending this opening feature on packaging made of BOPP laminated PP tape fabric.

This convenient opening feature is used in many different packaging applications: for food, animal feedstuff and pet care products, dry powders and bulk goods, in the industrial and end-consumer sectors, etc. For common easy-to-open bags that hold large quantities of content and thus weigh a lot, however, the packaging material has to be very thick and heavy to avoid breakage and provide adequate protection. Higher bag weight means more raw material input at the beginning of the bag's life cycle, and more waste at the end.

An advantage of PP STAR poly-woven bags is that they have a low bag weight but are strong. Due to their special material combination they can hold large quantities of heavy content without tearing or breaking even when dropped. After a detailed market analysis and feedback from end users, Starlinger developed the Easy Open feature to make PP STAR pinch bottom bags even more consumer-friendly. Because of the exceptional strength of the woven polypropylene-BOPP composite, a tool such as scissors or a knife is needed to open a normal PP STAR bag. In this regard, Easy Open proved to be the most convenient and cost-saving opening solution: The Easy Open strip can be produced inline, avoiding extra production steps and consequently production costs. Thus it integrates perfectly into the PP STAR concept. Alternative reseal features are not only more expensive, they also require additional production steps and reduce the bag production speed significantly.

The core market for PP STAR Easy Open bags is the pet food industry. Studies have shown that in this sector 75-80% of the bulk packaged products (packaging with more than 7.5 kg content) are emptied in one go into a container after opening. Thus, a one-time easy opening system is the perfect solution for this market, which means tearing away the Easy Open strip and turning the bag, thus allowing for easier unpacking and emptying. Destined for the end-consumer sector, the bags are made of woven polyethylene tape fabric laminated with reverse-printed BOPP film. This makes them lightweight, strong, break-proof and visually appealing, according to Starlinger. They are also targeted at a wide range of dry bulk goods sold in retail.

PP STAR bags are produced on the Starlinger pp starKON conversion line, said to be the world's first fully automated conversion line for poly-woven pinch bottom bags, with a production capacity of 31 million bags/year.