Product
packaging is much more than a marketing tool. Beyond the logo and protecting
the product, safety is also an important consideration. Child resistant
packaging, with features like Mylar film, were developed to ensure
the safety of curious little hands, but what is Mylar and what, exactly, makes
mylar bags child resistant?
Mylar
The Mylar brand is a registered trademark of the DuPont company that refers to a type of film used in plastic packaging. The term Mylar is often used to refer to any brand of plastic film (like the Kleenex brand name is used to refer to all brands of facial tissues). The generic terms for Mylar are polyester film or plastic sheet. These sheets are made from a resin called Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), which is a thin and extremely durable plastic.
The strength and quality of the packaging isn't exclusive to the mylar brand name but rather to the strength and quality of the plastic film itself, which is what makes custom mylar bags and similar packaging so popular. And, while the strength of "mylar" packaging makes it nearly impossible to break, tear, or shatter, it isn't just the plastic film that contributes to making the packaging child resistant.
Child Resistant
The
United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that
child-resistant packaging is required in the following circumstances:
•
"The product poses a risk of injury or
illness to children under the age of five, who can open the package and consume
or handle its contents"
•
"The technology exists, or can otherwise be
developed, to produce child-resistant packaging for such products"
•
"The packaging can be completed with modern
mass production and assembly techniques"
•
"The packaging will adequately preserve the
integrity of the product and not interfere with its intended storage or
use"
The
purpose of child resistant packaging is to make it difficult, but not
impossible, for a child to open the container. While the strength of the
plastic film makes it hard for children to tear open the package, it's how the
package is designed to be opened and resealed which makes it child resistant.
Mylar bags, custom
stand up pouches and other types of packaging are made child resistant by
incorporating features such as puncture and tear-resistant films (often
referred to as mylar) and by using certified child-resistant press-to-close
zippers.
Certification
Products
that commonly require certified child-resistant packaging include these:
•
Herbal Medicine
•
Cosmetics
•
Medications
•
Lawn and garden
•
Dietary supplements
•
Household cleaners
When a product is potentially harmful or hazardous to children, it is important to use certified child-resistant packaging that meets federal guidelines such as the U.S. Poison and Prevention Packaging Act special packaging requirements.
Make
sure your product package meets the proper child safety guidelines by choosing
a packaging source that offers certified child-resistant containers. This type
of packaging includes single serving standup or lay flat pouches or bags made
with strong, durable mylar film and multiple use resealable packaging with
certified child-resistant press-to-close zippers. It's easy to find a source of
safe packaging that can also meet your specific marketing and design needs
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