High Barrier Technology

While not all bags are created equal, all bags have their place and purpose. Simple, single-material bags like polyethylene Ziploc bags are good for light-duty jobs such as holding dry goods for short periods of time. They will typically leak if liquids are placed in them and they do not offer much protection against oxygen meaning that air will degrade the contents of the bag pretty quickly. You also cannot put heavy objects in them as they don’t have much of a seal on the bottom or sides and they will fall apart rapidly. I can attest to that as I have used them for my toiletries through airport security and the bags fall apart at the seal rather quickly.

Bags made with layers of different films allow for the customization of desired properties so different objectives can be achieved. Vacuum bags are one such example where Nylon which has good puncture resistance is combined with polyethylene which has good moisture protection and can also be sealed. The combined materials create more functionality than the materials offer on their own. Smelly Proof bags also use this same Nylon/PE structure but without the bumpy texture which allows for vacuum sealing. However, these bags offer very little in the way of Oxygen protection or odor barrier which is not necessarily a bad thing. There are applications where the transmission of Oxygen through the plastic is desirable such as with certain fruits or vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are living things and some can spoil faster if they are not allowed to breathe. Plastics can be engineered through the proper selection of materials and also through the addition of micro perforations to achieve the optimal gas transmission for the intended application.

Cannabis, as a living and breathing thing, also has very specialized requirements. Too much Oxygen and the terpenes will oxidize and your buds will turn brown. A poor moisture barrier will cause your buds to dry out. Conversely, if the barrier properties are too high, as in the case of foil laminates, then the moisture and Oxygen become locked in and can’t escape. If all the moisture stays locked in, your buds will get funky and over time will grow mold.

At Skunkworx Packaging, with degrees in Packaging Science and Business plus over 30 years of packaging engineering experience including the food and fresh greens space, we have engineered a material with the perfect combination of properties to achieve the optimal environment for the curing and storage of cannabis with the tightest lockdown of odor available. Since the product cures in the bag, a shelf life of 1 year is guaranteed! Even flowers that no longer have an aroma have “come back to life” in these bags!