Plastic recycled packaging set for major growth

Global – Plastics will account for 10.6% of the recycled packaging market by the year 2020 – up from 6.9% in 2010 and 8.5% in 2015, according to a ‘World Green Packaging’ report from US-based Freedonia Group Inc. This increased demand will be fuelled by greater processing volumes of recycled material and increased collection activity, it says.

‘Robust gains for plastic will also be the result of upward momentum from a much smaller base compared to paper and metal packaging, since recycling rates for plastic containers are much lower than those of corrugated boxes, and aluminum and steel cans,’ the report notes.

By 2020, the total market for plastic recycled packaging will be worth US$ 26 billion; the largest regional market will be Asia Pacific (US$ 10.7 billion), followed by Western Europe (US$ 6 billion) and the USA (US$ 4.6 billion). Bottles will continue to account for the majority of recycled-content plastic packaging because of well-developed infrastructures for PET and high-density polyethylene, it is argued. Increased recycling activity is also expected in other segments, such as thermoformed containers and protective packaging.

The Freedonia Group study of the US$ 160.8 billion global green packaging industry presents historical demand data for the years 2000, 2005 and 2010, and forecasts for 2015 and 2020 by product (recycled content packaging, reusable packaging and degradable packaging), by market, by world region and for 19 major countries. The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 47 industry players.