Key facts:
- By 2034 the packaging industry will be worth nearly $1.8 trillion, with a CAGR of 3.9% between 2028 and 2034
- Fibre-based packaging is the largest group, with 39.8% of total packaging material consumption in 2023; 37.4% is plastic, metal accounts for 11.9%, while glass makes up 4.6%.
Over the next decade, moulded pulp is expected to see the highest CAGR due to its wide range of applications and low EPR fees. Board will continue to be a popular choice due to its raw materials being renewable, the ease of recycling and low EPR fees. Flexible plastics are expected to continue to be popular due to high performance, low weight, low cost and expected investment in recycling infrastructure.
'Sustainable packaging' is developed using eco-design principles, minimising the environmental and social impacts at every stage of its lifecycle. Sustainable packaging has a lower carbon footprint from reduced, or eliminated, use of fossil raw materials. It maximises the use of post-consumer recycled content without compromising the opportunity for the materials used in its production to be utilized on multiple occasions, whether via reuse, recycling or composting.
Key Questions:
- How will the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) affect packaging design, material recovery, and brand owner strategies across the next 10 years?
- What will sustainable packaging look like in 10 years' time?
- How will the market react to the competing claims of a new generation of fibre-based materials, PCR plastic formats, bioplastics, and packaging made from alternative fibre sources?
- Where and when will chemical (advanced) recycling become a viable option for cutting the carbon impact of packaging?
This report is essential to:
- Packaging raw material suppliers
- Packaging converters and manufacturers
- Retailers and brand owners
Table of Contents
Executive summary
Introduction and methodology
- Introduction
- Report objective
- What is sustainable packaging?
- Market segmentation
- Packaging materials
- Geographies
- End-use segments
- Methodology
- Data and forecasting methodology
- Scope
- Glossary
- Acronyms used
What is sustainable packaging?
- Definition and market overview
- Packaging lifecycle
- Raw materials
- Manufacturing
- Transport
- Packaging in-use
- End of life
- What is the outlook for paper vs plastic packaging?
Key market trends and drivers
- Overview and key conclusions
- Regional regulation and legislation
- European Union
- Europe - Local level legislation
- On-pack labelling
- OPRL (on-pack recycling logo)
- Technological influences
- Digital product passports (DPP)
- Other packaging data management software
Packaging supplier and material developments
- Overview and key conclusions
- Paper and board
- Supplier consolidation
- Barrier-coated paper and board
- Paper-based transit packaging
- Other fibre-based and cellulose-based packaging
- Flexible plastics
- Mono-material flexible plastics
- Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging - an industry-funded association driving circularity in flexible plastics
- Rigid plastics
- Bioplastics
- Case study - Compostable Coalition UK (CCUK)
- Alternative materials
- Seaweed based packaging materials
- Other plant-based materials
- Traceless Materials
- Fiberpac - miscanthus-based packaging
- Papierfabrik Meldorf GmbH - grass-based materials
- Plant Proteins
- Materials from waste
- ReStalk
- Releaf
- HUID materials made from onion waste
- Metal packaging
- Reusable and refillable packaging
- Reusable e-commerce packaging case studies
- Consumer products reuse case studies
Packaging users
- Overview and key conclusions
- Voluntary commitments
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) - Global Commitment
- Brand owner mini case studies
- Food packaging
- Beverages
- Healthcare
- Personal care
- Other consumer
- E-commerce packaging
- Retail packaging developments
End-of-life solutions
- Overview and key conclusions
- Collection of packaging waste
- Sorting packaging waste
- Enhanced optical recognition - digital watermarks and electronic tagging
- The impact of AI
- Recycling packaging waste
- Overview
- Mechanical recycling
- Chemical (advanced) recycling
Global market for sustainable packaging
- Introduction
- Global overview
- Europe
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
- United Kingdom
- Russia
- Poland
- Czech Republic
- Other Europe
- North America
- South & Central America
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Chile
- Other South & Central America
- APAC
- Japan
- China
- India
- Indonesia
- Philippines
- South Korea
- Australia
- Other APAC
- Middle East & Africa
- Turkiye
- South Africa
- Egypt
- Other Middle East & Africa