Eco friendly packaging was, once upon a time, considered a fad, likely to go the way of Birkenstocks and floral print clothing. As we now know, however, eco friendly packaging is one of the key components of an increasing effort to minimize the impact of man on the environment.

Whether the discussion turns to global warming, overflowing landfills, pollution of our air and water or the garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean, we've come to understand that discarded packaging contributes substantially to our environmental woes. The packaging choices that companies make are important as they have potential long-term consequences to the environment. One of the best eco friendly packaging options available is the stand up pouch.

Stand up pouches are produced via a very energy-efficient process that takes multiple layers of special film and laminates them together. Although the pouch that results is strong, stable and flexible, it requires up to 12 percent less material to make than most other packaging bags. Less material means less fuel consumption to ship each bag and also means that less waste is generated after disposal.

Stand up pouches are an example of how less can actually be more. This packaging appears to be the type of bag packaging that often requires supplemental packaging material such as an inner foil or plastic liner or outer box, bag, carton or canister. But stand up pouch eco friendly packaging does not. As a result, less material is needed and the energy normally consumed to produce, transport, store and/or dispose of extra packaging is conserved instead.

Not only are stand up pouches environmentally friendly, they possess other features as well. Flexible and lightweight, they store conveniently in the garage, hall closet, kitchen cupboard, RV pantry, refrigerator/freezer, even a picnic basket. And the pouch barrier is so flexible smaller pouches can be easily carried in a backpack or purse.

Stand up pouches protect the contents from vapor, odor, moisture, light, air and/or pests, depending on the needs of the product. For food and other items with a "best by" date, they also seal in freshness and nutritional/chemical properties.