Plastic packaging and products are not just tested in their finished state—but also rigorously tested from inception as a resin, with additional testing throughout each stage of manufacturing. This all happens way before packaging and products ever hit the shelves in stores.
Companies invest a lot of time, effort and care into determining which type of material makes the most sense for a certain product or package.
While there are countless options to choose from, plastic is often selected because of its ability to perform when other materials simply cannot.
Considerations include:
Material Suppliers | Processors | Brand Owners | |
---|---|---|---|
Safety
|
Material SuppliersTest for safe use opportunities of specific resins | ProcessorsReview brand owner requests and material supplier testing reports; perform additional testing if needed | Brand OwnersReview testing reports and product request response from processors and material suppliers to confirm everything meets brand standards and regulation requirements; perform additional testing if needed |
CONTACT & MIGRATION
|
Material SuppliersTest for safe contact with other products, migration and toxicology, and environmental exposures | ProcessorsReview brand owner requests and material supplier testing reports; perform additional testing if needed | Brand OwnersReview all testing reports from processors and material suppliers to confirm everything meets brand standards and regulation requirements |
DURABILITY
|
Material SuppliersTest resin durability in select finished product scenarios | ProcessorsReview material supplier reports on resin durability and compare with brand owner request along with manufacturing process | Brand OwnersPerform additional durability testing to ensure product meets/exceeds usage needs |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
|
Material SuppliersReview recyclability of specific resins and finished product scenarios | ProcessorsEnsure recyclability assessment aligns with the manufacturing process and intended usage of finished product | Brand OwnersReview recyclability assessment and may perform a life cycle assessment of finished product |
It all starts with the manufacturing company’s idea or concept. After the intended functions, features, shape, assembly and target user age are identified, a model, also known as a prototype, is designed.
Regardless of where they’re manufactured, toys must comply with the regulations of the region where they will be sold. For instance, if the toy is sold in the U.S. but is made in China, it must comply with the U.S. standard for toy safety—ASTM F963. Only once the toy has passed this testing can it move into the manufacturing stage.
First, a food manufacturing company determines which kind of packaging is needed based on a number of key considerations:
Sometimes the food manufacturing company will find that a viable plastic packaging option already exists, and sometimes a new solution will be created.
Two reviews happen at this stage:
It doesn’t always end there—if the processing company determines additional review, such as toxicology testing, is needed, it will then facilitate that. There are no loopholes or shortcuts when it comes to ensuring products and packaging are safe.
This means toxicology testing and FDA review processes will be needed. It can take more than two years to develop the resin and get approval from the FDA, submitting for a food contact substance notification.
Once a plastic packaging material is selected and a processing company is employed, the food manufacturing company implements its own testing to ensure it meets the original specs, performance requirements and food safety quality. This can include:
Getting a plastic product to market is no easy task. A lot of time and resources are invested to make sure the plastics we come in contact with every day are safe and effective. These standard practices and checks and balances are meant to provide peace of mind for manufacturers, brand owners and end users to know the products they’re using are safe.