The different ways to reseal a flexible package — how they work, what they’re made of, and which Sealstrip system fits your product.

“Resealable packaging” isn’t one thing. It’s a family of mechanisms, each with its own strengths and best-fit products. Sealstrip has spent decades building reseal systems for flexible packaging, so here’s a plain-language tour of the main options — enough to talk comfortably with your packaging engineer and pick the right fit.

Getting the reseal right the first time

The best reseal for a given product depends on a few things: the product’s weight, its oil or moisture content, how many times it needs to reclose, and the package format — pillow bag, stand-up pouch, gusseted bag, tray, and so on. Match those to the mechanism and you get a reseal that holds up for the life of the product. Sealstrip’s team helps you make that match.

Pressure-sensitive reseal tape — the workhorse

The most widely used reseal in modern flexible packaging is pressure-sensitive tape applied to the film. A strip of adhesive tape sits across the opening; people fold the package over and press to reclose. Sealstrip uses pressure-sensitive tape across its whole line, which means there are no tracks to line up — the package closes the first time, every time.

• Runs at your line speed
• Uses less film and adds very little weight
• Retrofits onto the wrapper you already run

Best suited for: snacks, baked goods, shredded cheese, pet treats, and other multi-serve products reclosed by hand. Sealstrip systems here include Sealstrip, Peel&Seal, and FreshPak.

Reseal with built-in freshness protection

Some products need more than a reclose — they need a barrier that protects aroma, moisture, or shelf life. FreshPak BarrierPlus is designed for exactly that, pairing an easy reseal with added barrier performance for products that are sensitive once the first seal is broken.

Full-width, cross-direction reseal

Most reseal tape runs as a single band. For trays and wider formats, you may want the whole top of the package to open and reclose. SealAcross provides a full-width, cross-direction reseal, so wider packages close completely rather than at just one strip.

Stand-up pouch reseal

Stand-up pouches have their own requirements, and Sealstrip offers dedicated SUP reseal solutions built for that format.

Reseal tape and zippers, side by side

Zipper closures are familiar and strong, and they’re a solid choice for heavier or bulkier stand-up pouches. Pressure-sensitive reseal tape offers a different set of advantages that draw a lot of packagers: it’s lighter, uses less film, runs at full line speed with no tracks to line up, and is easier to keep within a single recyclable material stream. Sealstrip positions its tape as a sustainable alternative to the zipper for the products that suit it.

Recyclable, mono-material reseal: VerdeSeal

More and more reseal decisions now start with recyclability. Brands moving to mono-material flexible packaging — one polymer family throughout the film, bag, and reseal — do it so the whole package can go through standard film recycling. Sealstrip’s answer is VerdeSeal: a recyclablability optimized, proprietary pressure-sensitive tape technology with FDA food compliance, built on mono-material polyethylene-based films and available across Sealstrip’s resealable lines — Peel&Seal, FreshPak, Sealstrip, and SealAcross. It delivers the same consumer-loved reseal with no loss of line efficiency, and Sealstrip found it also meaningfully lowers the package’s carbon footprint compared with conventional reseal adhesives.

FDA compliance, built in

For food, medical device, and OTC or personal-care products, the tape and film need to meet FDA compliance for food contact or the relevant medical standards. Sealstrip’s convenience-feature materials are FDA compliant and made in the USA in a facility certified under the GFSI-recognized IFS PACsecure standard, so the food-safety documentation is there when you need it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common type of resealable packaging tape?

Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape applied across the package opening is the most widely used reseal in flexible packaging — low material cost, minimal added weight, and easy to apply with a high-speed retrofit applicator. It’s the basis of Sealstrip’s resealable systems.

How many times can resealable tape be opened and closed?

That depends on the tape’s adhesive formulation, which is matched to the product category. Multi-serve snack and food packaging is generally designed for many open-and-close cycles over the product’s shelf life.

Is resealable tape recyclable?

It can be. Sealstrip’s VerdeSeal is a mono-material tape technology formulated to match a polyethylene-based film so the whole package can stay in a standard film recycling stream. As always, confirm the specific tape-and-film combination for your product.

What’s the difference between resealable tape and a zipper closure?

Sealstrip’s reseal tape is lighter, uses less film, and runs at full line speed with no tracks to line up, which makes it a great fit for lighter multi-serve products. Zippers offer a strong mechanical reseal for bulkier products but add more material and weight.

Can resealable features be added to existing packaging equipment?

In most cases, yes. Sealstrip’s tape-based reseal systems are applied with retrofit applicators that integrate into existing VFFS baggers, flow wrappers, and similar equipment — no new wrapper required.

About Sealstrip

Sealstrip Corporation has spent decades engineering easy-open and resealable convenience features for flexible packaging — pairing pressure-sensitive tapes with retrofit applicators built to fit the line you already run. Sealstrip is a WBENC-certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), a member of the Flexible Packaging Association, and manufactures in the USA in a facility certified under the GFSI-recognized IFS PACsecure standard.

Want to see how a Sealstrip reseal performs on your own package? Ask for a sample. Call 1-888-658-7997.