How to Choose Plastic Suppliers for Your Online Business

9 min read

Plastic manufacturers are often the unsung heroes of many businesses. Plastic supplies are an essential part of day-to-day operations for most companies. This is true whether you are selling plastic supplies directly, or relying on plastic materials for other essential tasks. Plastic manufacturing is a highly intricate process that serves just about every industry nationwide. As such, choosing which plastic manufacturers and suppliers you work with can have a major impact on your business.

With the wide variety of plastic products in use, there are also many different types of plastic manufacturers. Knowing how to find plastic suppliers, and which ones to work with, can be a major challenge for new businesses. This guide will provide the basic information you need about plastic manufacturing and plastic suppliers.

Plastic Bag Manufacturers

One of the most widely-used plastic products is one that very few businesses actually sell. Plastic bags are used every day by companies for shipping and packaging purposes, even if they’re not the product being sold.

Plastic bags come in all sorts of varieties as well. When most people think of plastic bags, their minds likely jump to plastic grocery bags. Other plastic bag types include sandwich bags, garbage bags, and plastic bags used in shipping and packaging. Electronics, for instance, require specialized plastic bags for packaging to reduce static. Even large items like furniture are typically covered in large plastic bags during shipping and storage for protection.

Plastic bag factors to consider

When choosing plastic bag suppliers, there are two main points to consider. What will your plastic bags be used for? And what materials will they be made from?

The first of these concerns is self-explanatory. If you need small plastic bags for shipping small parts, you don’t need industrial-sized plastic bags. You should search for plastic bag manufacturers who make products that suit your unique needs.

When considering manufacturing materials, sustainability is the primary concern. Many companies and consumers try to limit their use of single-use plastics as much as possible. Most plastic bags are single-use items, which can lead to serious environmental concerns for consumers. Reusable plastic shopping bags are a popular item for this purpose. In fact, selling reusable plastic bags online is a very good option because they are a high-demand product.

If you can’t use reusable plastic bags, then recycled materials are your next best option. Recycled materials reduce the amount of waste left behind by non-biodegradable plastic bags. If your business prioritizes sustainability, finding plastic bag manufacturers that use recycled materials is a simple way to make a big difference.

Who are some top plastic bag suppliers?

There are many plastic bag manufacturers and plastic bag suppliers, both globally and within the U.S. Here is a list of just a few of the top suppliers and manufacturers of plastic bags you can work with.

Associated Bag — Top plastic bag supplier, with an assortment of other plastic supplies as well.
Classic Packaging Corp. — Specializes in plastic packaging of all types.
Four Star Plastics — Various types of plastic and plastic bag products available.
International Plastics — Leading manufacturer and supplier of all types of plastic packaging.

Plastic Bottle Manufacturers

Plastic bottles are another top plastics manufacturing product. Unlike plastic bags, it is not uncommon for companies to sell plastic bottles. But, in most cases, the bottles themselves are not the product. Plastic bottles are used as containers for beverages, cleaning products, bath products, and more.

Sustainability is again a large concern for plastic bottle suppliers. While plastic bottles tend to have a longer life cycle than bags, they are still often single-use items. But most manufacturers have adopted the use of recycled materials for plastic bottles these days. Another top concern when searching for plastic bottle suppliers is the type of plastic used in manufacturing. There are four primary types of plastics used to manufacture plastic bottles:

Polyethylene — Strong, lightweight, durable material commonly used for milk jugs and condiment squeeze bottles.
Polyethylene Terephthalate — Strong and lightweight, typically used for water and other soft drinks.
Polypropylene — Harder, more durable plastic commonly used for medication and cleaning product bottles.
Polycarbonate — More expensive, long-lasting, and durable type of plastic, often used to make reusable plastic bottles and containers.

Some plastic manufacturers may specialize in manufacturing one type of plastic. Others may offer a variety of plastic types. If you are using plastic bottles in any capacity, you should understand what types of plastic are suited for different container types.

Who are some top plastic bottle suppliers?

Plastic bottle suppliers represent some of the largest plastic manufacturing companies in the U.S. There is an incredibly high demand for plastic containers of all types in nearly every industry. Here are just a few of the leading plastic bottle suppliers companies can work with.

Altium Packaging — All-purpose plastic packaging manufacturer and supplier.
E2Global — Specializes in plastic containers for health & beauty, veterinary, medical, and industrial products.
Graham Packaging — Plastic container manufacturer with a focus on sustainability. Specializes in food and beverage containers, as well as automotive, health & beauty, and chemical product containers.
Plastipak — All-purpose plastic packaging supplier with an emphasis on recycling and sustainability.

Plastic Products Manufacturers

All other types of plastic products are available from a wide range of plastic products suppliers. Plastic parts are widely used in fabrication and manufacturing across several industries. Electronics, automotive parts, home appliances, and more all rely on plastic manufacturing to some degree.

Other products, like plastic toys, plastic silverware, or plastic appliances are also very common. With such a wide variety of plastic products in use, it’s no surprise that there are also tons of plastic product suppliers to choose from.

Finding the right plastic products supplier for your business will likely require more in-depth research into your specific niche. Some major plastic suppliers might be able to serve a wide range of business demands. Others may serve a more specialized purpose that can meet unique demands.

Who are some top plastic products suppliers?

There are too many diverse plastic products suppliers in the U.S. to compile a thorough list here. Again, for specialized plastic products, you are best served conducting your own research into plastic products manufacturers.

Many of the top plastic manufacturers in the U.S. are major corporations that you have likely heard of. These include Exxon Mobil and Dupont. Other major general plastic manufacturers include Eastman Chemical Company and Berry Global, Inc.

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Nov 22, 2022

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.