Paper + Mesh
Paper on the face for the print, mesh on the back for the air. It reads as a paper pack on the shelf, which is what a buyer moving away from all-plastic is usually after, without giving up ventilation.
Choose it when the pressure to look less plastic comes from the retailer. A solid paper bag would satisfy the commitment and suffocate the product; full mesh would ventilate perfectly and read as plastic on the shelf. This format splits the difference — the face carries the print and reads as paper, the back keeps the air moving. Ventilation is lower than an all-mesh bag, so for heavily respiring product in volume, mesh is still the safer choice.
Typical use cases
- Garlic, citrus and produce sold in paper-forward retail programs
Specifications
| Construction | Paper face with mesh back |
| Supplied as | Pre-made bags, or roll stock for form-fill-seal machines |
What packers use paper + mesh for
Supplied as pre-made bags, or as roll stock for form-fill-seal machines.
Garlic
Garlic sold in paper-forward retail programmes. The paper face carries origin and variety; the mesh back keeps the bulbs from sweating.
Citrus
Mandarins and small citrus counts where the chain has committed to reducing plastic in the produce aisle but the fruit still has to breathe.
Paper-forward retail programmes
Any category where the retailer's packaging commitment is the reason for the change rather than the product's own requirements.
Questions buyers ask about paper + mesh
Can I get it as roll stock?
Yes — pre-made bags or roll stock for form-fill-seal equipment.
Does it breathe as well as full mesh?
No. Half the pack is paper, so ventilation is lower than an all-mesh bag. For heavily respiring product like onion in volume, all-mesh is still the safer choice.
Is it recyclable?
It combines paper and mesh, which puts it in a different stream from either one alone. What a given market accepts varies — worth confirming for the region your retailer sells in before it goes on the artwork.
