Consumer demand for convenience and product safety is driving growth in high-barrier packaging film, according to a Smithers Pira report.
The report said the market was projected at 1.86 million tonnes in 2016 and is forecast to grow at an annual rate of 4.6 per cent to 2.33 million tonnes between now and 2021.
It is expected to reach a value of around $11.32 billion, up from $9 billion in 2016.
Market value growth is forecast to increase at a slightly higher rate than material consumption due to faster anticipated growth for higher cost films.
Report author David Platt said busier consumer lifestyles and demand for convenience products, together with the popularity of microwave cooking, had contributed to such things as microwaveable retort ready meals packed in trays and stand-up pouches.
“High-barrier flexible packaging products such as retort pouches are challenging rigid pack formats such as metal tins and glass jars for a wide range of food products,” he said.
Material producers continue to innovate with high-barrier and foil replacement films, sealant films, and films that are more easily recyclable.
Thinner materials
A reduction in material usage is another key trend throughout the packaging and pouch-making industry, either through thinner films or fewer film layers.
The growing dominance of large retail chains in developing and developed national markets is also expanding the market for packaged food, with an emphasis on cost control and shelf life extension.
Simultaneously sustainable packaging and source reduction aimed at lowering the environmental impact of packaging have become key goals for brand owners. These trends are encouraging the uptake of high-barrier plastic packaging film, including a wider use of packaging based on sustainable resources.
Consumer demand for food with a longer shelf life and high quality has led to the development of increasingly sophisticated multilayer film structures.
Recycling becomes a particular problem with multimaterial structures containing more than one type of plastic, as these are difficult to separate with the equipment installed in contemporary material recovery facilities (MRFs).
However, new solutions are becoming commercially available for recycling multilayer high-barrier packaging film.
The report, The Future of High-Barrier Packaging Films to 2021, can be found here.
