Woven vs Nonwoven Bags
These two models are not all that dissimilar, but there is enough that sets them apart that it is necessary to explain the differences.
There is a wide range of bags that can vary in the kind of material used, how they have been made, what size they are, or the kind of style that has been put into making the bag. Two main styles of produce are available commercially; these are the woven style and the non woven style bags. Despite what may seem to be a rather similar appearance, there are some noticeable differences in the way the two are constructed as well as their properties.
Woven bag is a type of bag made from woven material materials or fabrics commonly used in packaging industries to package food products, as well as in other related industries or businesses.
A woven bag is prepared by uniting one or more sets of filaments or yarns over the top of and under the next one or others. The warp fibers are placed along the length of the fabric with weft fibers placed across the width of the fabric as the material is being woven on a loom. The warp ends are treated and held firmly with weft threads resulting in a strong, elasticity and stiffness of the fabric.
Fabric material that is normally used in the making of woven bags includes the cotton, jute, polypropylene, nylon and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET). The thickness and the tightness of the weave consequently make a difference in other properties such as strength, porosity, flexibility, stiffness, and so on. It is an effective method of creating a complex pattern or text such as logos, labels etc in the design.
Key attributes of woven bags include:Key attributes of woven bags include:
- Durable and long-lasting
- It was stronger: it was capable of lifting more weight.
- Some of the adaptable fashion trends that apply include totes, backpacks, and handbags.
- Different types may be thick and rigid or thin yet more supple.
- The fabric can be taken through processes that will give it bright dyes before the weaving is done.
- Some images can be incorporated into the layout
Purse bags are evidently in use today for grocery, backpacks, reusable shopping, beach, and luxury handbags among other uses that are endless. Constructing the material with parameters makes it possible to shape it according to the needs and requirements of style, strength, breathability and many other factors in any application.
Next, we will ask ourselves the obvious question, what is a Nonwoven Bag?
Nonwoven bags are made using fabricated fibers through processes like mechanical entanglement, heat and chemical fusion rather than using interlocking processes of weaving or knitting. Involves the processes of laying fibers down on a conveyor and then creating a web through dispersion of short fibers or filaments. Some of the most prevalent types of fabric material are polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), nylon, PET and recycled fiber.
There are three main categories nonwoven bag fabrics fall into:There are three main categories nonwoven bag fabrics fall into:
- Spunbond Fabric: Seamlessly drawn and multi-end yarns are bonded by heat compression or stitch bonding. Nonwovens spunbond bag is comparatively high-strength, permeable, lightweight and has good toughness and tear strength.
- Meltblown Fabric: Microfibers are dropped by a high-velocity air on a conveyer and then laminated by heat and compression. Overall, meltblown nonwovens are ideal for medical fabrics and face mask materials because of their great filtration capabilities.
- Spunlace or Hydroentangled Fabric: The loose fiber webs are interlocking by using water spray jets with high pressure being used. Spunlace fabrics are specially suited for wet wipes, medical nonwoven fabric, hygiene products, apparels lining fabric etc Spunlaced bags are soft in nature, soft surfaced and flexible but not so much strong as compare to some other Nonwovens.
Spunbond polypropylene is popular as the most utilized material among all nonwovens to produce reusable shopping bags and grocery sacks. It is also relatively strong, durable, porous and economical for the costs of production.
Key attributes of nonwoven polypropylene bags include:Key attributes of nonwoven polypropylene bags include:
- Consisting of coextive strips of plastic and manufactured from continuous filaments of plastic.
- Able to withstand pressure, rigid and can be used many times
- Can also be printed with bold, colorful graphics that can be easily seen from a distance.
- Weaker than the woven and most of the bags are thin and lighter in weight.
- Options run the gamut from $1 nylon supermarket totes to designer pieces from posh clothiers.
- Recyclable in many of the municipal recycling programs not only reusable but also completely recyclable.
Nonwoven bags have developed into an extremely large market since it has strength, breathability, print ability, and recyclability. They find their uses in grocery stores, retail stores, packaging of various products, restaurants, libraries, and there are many more places where they are used primarily as shopping bags, carryout bags, and storage tools. When compared to wovens, nonwovens have a fairly more favorable combination of the product attributes of strength, weight, and cost. They can also be easily treated for printing and the logos or messages to be displayed can be vivid.
It is important to distinguish between woven and nonwoven bags, to know which type of bag is more environmentally friendly to use.
Key Similarities
Despite their distinctly different manufacturing processes, woven and nonwoven bags share the following attributes:Despite their distinctly different manufacturing processes, woven and nonwoven bags share the following attributes:
- Lightweight: highly customizable sizes, shapes and colors
- Durable and reusable
- Morale and strong enough for repeated use
- This type of material is water resistant in order to protect the contents inside.
- It is easy to wash by hand as well as easy to clean with the washing machine.
- May be branded with an organization’s logo or promotional messages
- it is safe for use with food Items
- They can be easily folded to occupy a small amount of storage space when not in use.
Key Differences
- Construction: Woven bags are constructed from two sets of yarns which are interlinked while non-woven felt consists of fibers which are held together by gluing or heat bonding.
- Weight: Nonwoven polypropylene is lighter in weight and thinner than most of the other fabrics but its tensile strength is nearly as good as many of the tight cotton or jute weaves.
- Breathability: It true because nonwovens are porous and breathable, but thick woven fabrics are not, and they can trap heat.
- Environmental Impact: Some woven natural fiber materials are fully biodegradable but nonwoven ones take more than 200 years to decompose. New trends in choosing recycled polypropylene as the material help to enhance the sustainability of the product.
- Recyclability: Non woven are easily sortable in most municipal recycling streams which is not the case with woven bags that are hard to recycle efficiently.
- Printability: Nonwovens enable better image with finer detail, clearer color intensity. This is because most woven fabrics only allow for low-contrast simple prints, and even then, they are not easily visible.
Best Applications
Woven: More elaborate bags
- Bold solid color designs
- Unique textures, patterns
- High weight capacities
Nonwoven: Promotional bags/sacks
- Vivid graphic printing
- Disposable uses (tradeshows, conferences)
- Light/moderate duty
Woven and nonwoven bags serve many purposes ranging from branding and luxury to practical uses such as bringing items in day to day activities. Deciding what fabric is best depends on the properties that are required for the application; these include breathability, available print area, limited weight, sustainability/environmental concerns and image. Recycled nonwovens, which are derived from recycled material, and biodegradable naturals with focus on sustainability offers environmental benefits on the effects of repeated use of plastic products.