According to Reportlinker.com, protective packaging demand is expected to exceed $5 billion in 2012, driven by manufacturing growth and the proliferation of Internet commerce. These factors will fuel demand for cost-effective packaging used in the protection of goods from shock, vibration, abrasion and other damaging effects of shipping and handling. Manufacturing markets for protective packaging will remain dominant, but non-manufacturing markets will rise more rapidly, stimulated by escalating Internet and catalog sales as consumers increasingly shop at home.
Air pillows, insulated shipping containers to lead gains
The fastest advances are anticipated for air pillows and insulated shipping containers, with protective mailers and bubble packaging also logging above-average growth. Air pillows will log robust growth due to the ongoing proliferation of Internet sales channels, which will drive heightened requirements for costeffective void fill products needed to fulfill such sales. Advances for air pillows will also be supported by their versatility and excellent performance with light- to medium-weight items, along with consumer preference for the product over other materials such as loose-fill.
Solid gains for insulated shipping containers will reflect the increased presence of temperature-sensitive drugs in the pharmaceutical product mix, as temperature control throughout the supply chain is critical to the efficacy of these drugs. Also driving growth will be expanding specialized delivery requirements resulting from increased online sales of perishable foods.
Foamed plastic protective packaging demand will be aided by advantages of light weight and excellent cushioning capabilities compared to paperboard and other materials. However, gains will lag the overall protective packaging market as resin prices rise more slowly and manufacturing is outsourced to nations that offer lower-cost production.
More moderate gains are anticipated for paperboard protectors, paper fill, dunnage bags, loose-fill and molded pulp, the result of mature applications and/or competition from faster growing product types. Nonetheless, growing interest in sustainable packaging will be advantageous for such products as paper fill, molded pulp and degradable loose-fill.
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Plastic materials to outpace paper and paperboard
Plastic materials will register faster expansion than paper and paperboard due to their relatively favorable cost, excellent cushioning capabilities, moldability and ease of processing. Plastic film will be boosted by heightened demand for air pillows, bubble mailers and bubble packaging based on their versatility and performance with a wide variety of product configurations. Moreover, technological innovations enabling onsite and on-demand production of bubble packaging will support gains.
Cushioning to remain top function, insulation to be fastest growing
Cushioning will remain the leading protective packaging function while void- fill uses will be stimulated by opportunities for air pillows, bubble packaging and, to a lesser extent, paper fill. Insulation functions will exhibit the most rapid growth based on heightened requirements for temperature control in the shipping of food, drug/medical and other products. Study coverage
This new Freedonia industry study, Protective Packaging, is priced at $4500. It presents historical demand data for the years 1997, 2002 and 2007 and forecasts for 2012 and 2017 by material, function and market. The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles leading protective packaging producers.
