Sustainable packaging: Ceresana study on the global market for bioplastics packaging

KONSTANZ, Germany, 2023-Jul-10 — /EPR Network/ — Are bioplastic bags compostable and can they be disposed of along with organic waste? In some places, there is a passionate debate about how environmentally friendly bioplastics really are. But that doesn’t change the fact that more and more films, containers, bottles and cups of all kinds, closures and lids, as well as labels, adhesive tapes and loose-fill packaging chips are being produced from biobased and/or biodegradable plastics. Ceresana analyzed the global market for packaging materials made from biopolymers: The analysts expect revenues generated with these to increase to around USD 31.4 billion by 2032.

Innovative and dynamic segment of the plastics market

Short-life packaging is by far the most important application for bioplastics, although they are also increasingly found in long-life high-performance products. In the context of bioeconomy and sustainable circular economy, biopolymers are associated with the hope of climate protection, non-toxic and environmentally friendly products, but also independence from fossil raw materials and new opportunities for agriculture and economically weak regions. Polylactic acid (PLA), mostly derived from plant starch, is currently the most important bioplastic on the packaging market with a share of 28%. Packaging made from biobased plastics that are not biodegradable, for example polyethylene and PET made from sugarcane ethanol, follow in second place. Ceresana expects the highest growth for PHA bioplastics (polyhydroxyalkanoates): Revenues generated with these biopolyesters formed by bacteria, are expected to increase by 19.4% by 2032.

Biobased packaging for food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals

The current market report from Ceresana analyzes the development of the use of bioplastics for packaging in the various sales markets. The most important sales market in 2022 was the “food and beverages” area, which accounted for almost 61% of all packaging. Bioplastics are increasingly needed not only for bread bags and salad freshness films, but also for dairy products, chilled and frozen foods, ready-made meals and convenience foods, spreads, sauces and condiments, bottles and containers in the beverage segment. However, Ceresana expects the highest volume growth in the “cosmetics and pharma” area: 11.4% per year. This includes packaging for shampoos, shower gels, creams, lotions, makeup, liquid soap or other personal care items, but also packaging for pharmaceutical products. Asia currently accounts for around 38% of the total market for bioplastic packaging – closely followed by Europe.

New market study regarding packaging made from bioplastics

Chapter 1 of Ceresana’s current study provides a comprehensive presentation and analysis of the global market for packaging made of bioplastics – including forecasts up to 2032: the development of demand and revenues is given for each world region. Additionally, the various types of packaging, areas of application and types of products are examined individually. Rigid packaging (for example, bottles, cans and containers) and flexible packaging (bags, sacks, sachets) are considered separately. The following applications for packaging made of bioplastics are considered: food and beverages, consumer goods, cosmetics and pharma, other packaging sectors. For the regions of Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, and the “Rest of the World,” the packaging market is broken down for the different types of bioplastics: Polylactic acid (PLA), Starch-based plastics, Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), other biodegradable plastics, bio-based but non-biodegradable plastics.
Chapter 2 considers the 11 most important countries for packaging made from bioplastics individually: Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the USA, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. In each case, the following are presented: Demand and revenue, demand for the individual application areas and demand per product type.
Chapter 3 provides useful company profiles of the top bioplastic packaging manufacturers, categorized by contact details, revenue, profit, product range, production facilities and brief profile. Detailed profiles are provided by 54 manufacturers, e.g., Alpagro Packaging, Amcor Limited, DSM NV, Innovia Films Ltd, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Mondi plc, Sealed Air, and Taghleef Industries.

Further Information about the new market study “Biobased Packaging”: https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/biobased-packaging-market-report

About Ceresana
As one of the world’s leading market research institutes, Ceresana specializes in the chemicals, plastics, packaging, and industrial goods sectors. Special focus areas are bio-economy and automotive / mobility. Since 2002, companies have benefited from high-quality industry analyses and forecasts. Over 250 market studies provide more than 10,000 clients around the world with the knowledge base for sustainable success.
More about Ceresana at www.ceresana.com

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