Global packaging trends: compact and diverse

According to our latest research, the packaging industry sold 3.5 trillion last year , an average annual increase of 2.2% .   The food industry is still the most important driver in the packaging industry. In 2015 , the demand for packaging increased by 2.6% .  

However, in 2015 , it was not an optimistic year for industries that needed to use packaging. However, the global packaging industry is still showing a growing trend, and the reasons for the slowdown are related to factors such as economic instability and political fluctuations. Alcoholic beverages packaged the most obvious slowdown, compared to 1.3% average annual growth in 2010-2014, overall demand in 2015 grew by only 0.2%. With the decline in the purchasing power of beer and spirits by Russian and Ukrainian consumers, the impact on glass packaging is most severe. In addition to these countries, food packaging, beverage packaging, daily chemicals, and household product packaging are all particularly optimistic. In 2015 , the fastest growing countries in the packaging industry are China, India, Indonesia and the United States.  

Small package --- new elements of healthy food

The big victory of the small package lies in its adaptability to the new trend of “ packaging ” . The concept of healthy consumption is prevalent. Consumers tend to purchase small-packaged snack foods for health reasons. At the same time, some government departments have begun to control the country's sugar intake and obesity. Portability and aesthetics are also the key to winning small packages.

The demand for small packaging is also spreading in the food industry. From candy biscuits to salty desserts, etc., all are mainly hard plastic packaging or soft packaging, which is more portable, more in line with consumer habits, but also more Adopted by food manufacturers. In the United Kingdom, for example, a series of ready-to-drink breakfast drinks were launched last year, including Up&Go 's “98.5% fat-reduced ” protein-enhanced drinks sold in 250 ml carton packs . At the same time, the old British Weetbix cereal also launched a ready-to-drink beverage packaged in 275 ml high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles.

The most obvious manifestation of the trend of “ weight loss ” for packaging is that soft drinks replace small original packaging with small packaging, especially carbonated beverages. Their reduced packaging specifications can help consumers control intake and reduce calorie intake.

In 2015, Coca-Cola launched in Canada 500mlPET bottled Coke, replacing the original 591ml installed, the same, 310ml 355ml small bottled replaces the original installation of Coke. At the same time, Coca-Cola reduced the sweetness of the formula, and as the size of the package decreased, the calorie and sugar content of Coke also decreased. The demand for small packages not only manifests itself in individual packaging, but even the family pack has been replaced with the original 2 liters for 1.5 liters. One liter and 1.25 liters are more suitable for the purchase of Coke in Europe's small family structure. In Switzerland, Rivella introduced a 1 liter non-carbonated series Rivella Clig , which also follows the trend of small packages.  

Plastic is still the pillar of the packaging industry

Soft plastic, the most common packaging material, is still the most important type of packaging in the global market. It consumed 988 billion in 2015 and is forecast to break one trillion in 2016 . Soft plastic packaging is not only used in various industries, from food, daily chemicals to cleaning products. The types are also varied, small shampoo samples as small as 5ml and rice bags as large as 5kg are everywhere. From the perspective of future trends, consumers will love small-package snacks and sweets for food and beverages, and they prefer to use affordable, small-packaged products for daily chemical products. As a result, the trend toward soft plastic packaging remains strong.  

PET bottles are the most successful type of packaging on the market, occupying the second largest share of the packaging market and continuing to grow in the future. Of the soft drinks sold in 2015 , 57% used PET bottles. In Europe and North America, sales of bottled water continued to grow, thanks to the shift in people’s awareness of health foods, and began to use water instead of carbonated beverages. In the selection of bottled water, they are also more inclined to choose 500 ml or less, such as the size of the lunch box and the size of the handbag.

The fastest growing countries in PET bottles are China, the United States, Vietnam, and Indonesia. This is due to their demand for safe drinking water, benefiting from the growth of urban population in Asia and the growth of the middle class. In the United States, for the concept of healthy consumption, consumers prefer to replace carbonated beverages with bottled water.   Demand for PET bottles for dairy products has also increased. Manufacturers have begun to use PET bottles instead of popular carton packs and HDPE bottles to highlight product features . The annual growth rate of PET bottles used in dairy products from 2015 to 2020 is 7.7% . The fastest-growing region is Asia and Latin America. Asia consumes 35% of the world's total consumption of dairy products. The growing demand for dairy products from Chinese and Indian households is bound to have a limit for manufacturers and packers. Business.

In 2016 , the global packaging market will grow by 2.7% , of which 71% growth will come from the well-performing Asian market. In order to take market opportunities, manufacturers should be more close to the preferences of consumers and design more types of packaging.