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Summary of our market study
The French plastic packaging market is estimated at between €9 and 10 billion.
Globally, the packaging market was valued at $355 billion in 2021, with a forecast CAGR of 4.2% leading to a value of $550.1 billion in 2030. The Asia-Pacific region dominates the market, with a share of over 43.1% in 2021.
Consumer trends in France also point to growing demand for sustainable packaging options. Although the market faced challenges with the advent of COVID-19, production rebounded strongly, reaching sales of 9.79 billion euros in 2022.
The market has experienced concentration, with the number of companies falling to 555 by 2022 and employment in the sector declining.
France's trade balance remains in deficit, with a coverage rate down 7.5 points between 2021 and 2022.
Regulatory changes, environmental concerns and consumer preferences for environmentally-friendly solutions are reshaping the market, as evidenced by European and French laws banning or restricting certain types of plastic packaging and setting recycling targets.
Changing consumer preferences and the rise of eco-design in the French plastic packaging market
With a marked shift towards environmental awareness, French consumers have voiced their concerns about plastic pollution. A significant proportion of consumers are prepared to pay a little more for products with eco-friendly packaging, and 90% of consumers say they sort their waste.
Trends in the French market reflect this change: cosmetics packaging has seen an unexpected rise in demand after the drop recorded during the pandemic, while essential products such as medical and pharmaceutical packaging are stabilizing, and food packaging continues to see sustained activity.
The food industry accounts for over half of all plastic packaging sales.
The French market is estimated to be worth between 9 and 10 billion euros by 2022.
The plastic packaging industry is also influenced by the different production methods available, such as injection molding, thermoforming and extrusion. Manufacturers need to strike a balance between product complexity, production scale and profitability.
Plastic packaging market players
- Scellé Air France manufacturer of safe plastic packaging solutions.
- Guillin Emballages focuses on sustainable development and ecological options.
- APTAR , the company supplies the beauty, pharmaceutical, food and beverage sectors.
- Alpha Packaging is recognized for its specialization in plastic bottles and jars for the nutrition, pharmaceuticals, personal care and food & beverage markets.
- Toray Films Europe brings high-tech solutions to the market with its range of plastic films and packaging options
- Linpac Packaging Pontivy combines innovation with practicality, offering a diverse range of plastic packaging options designed to meet the needs of the food industry.
- Reborn Holding (formerly Excelrise) is committed to plastic recycling.
- Silgan Dispensing provides a variety of dispensing solutions for the fragrance, beauty, health care and garden maintenance markets.
- Amcor France is part of a global packaging giant renowned for its innovative and sustainable packaging solutions.
- Mondi France
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Overview of the plastic packaging market
Plastic packaging is ubiquitous in the retail sector, and is used to display, preserve and transport consumer products such as cosmetics, food products (fruit and vegetables, meat, etc.) and cleaning products.
As with cardboard packaging, which is expanding mainly thanks to e-commerce, plastic packaging has also become indispensable, thanks to its versatility, which enables us to produce packaging of varying rigidity, transparency and complexity.
In 2021, French plastic packaging manufacturers finally returned to growth in the second quarter.
The cosmetics packaging segment posted the strongest growth. The fact that the majority of manufacturers are reporting a jump or stabilization in their activity is unexpected (but we'll explain why later in the study), given that the pandemic caused a sharp decline in the cosmetics market, and in make-up in particular. The trend now seems to be reversing, as the prospect of further confinements recedes.
Two-thirds of plastic medical and pharmaceutical packaging manufacturers reported stable business in the second quarter of 2021 compared with the previous quarter. 29% of players saw their business increase, and only 4% reported a decrease. After exploding during the health crisis, demand for medical and pharmaceutical packaging finally appears to be stabilizing.
Manufacturers of plastic food packaging, for their part, reported more stable business than in other segments. in fact, 62% of them feel that their business has remained stable compared with the first quarter of 2021, compared with 31% who report an increase. Only 7% are experiencing a slowdown in business.
However, the sector is relatively fragile in France, given the presence of German, Italian and Spanish plastic packaging manufacturers. Over the past 10 years, this has led to a significant concentration of players in the sector, with a dozen or so major groups now controlling most of the market.
However, new growth drivers exist for smaller players, as French consumer habits are tending to evolve towards greater consideration of eco-design for packaging. With European environmental regulations, this is a major challenge for a sector that absolutely must develop more environmentally-friendly plastic packaging.
1.2 The global plastic packaging market: estimates point to strong growth in the sector
The size of the global plastic packaging market
The global plastic packaging market size was valued at $***.* billion in **** and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (***) of *. *% from **** to ****.[***]
Evolution of the global plastic packaging market size World, ****-****, in billions of US dollars Source: ****
By ****, the ...
1.3 A recovering French market
The French plastic packaging market is particularly dependent on the outlook for the following customer segments:
Cosmetics Food industry Cleaning products
Food industry products are particularly important, accounting for **.*% of packaging sales. [***]
Market growth is much lower in France than in Europe, averaging just *.*% per year over the period **** - ****.[***]
plastic ...
1.4 Foreign trade
International trade in plastic packaging France, ****, millions of euros Source: ****
Thanks to the graph above, we can notice several things. Firstly, in ****, exports were up In fact, between **** and ****, French imports of plastic packaging rose by **.**%, from *.** billion euros in **** to *.** billion euros in ****.
Exports rose by **.**%. From *.** billion euros in ...
1.5 The impact of the Covid-19 crisis
However, the Covid-** crisis has benefited some plastic packaging companies, which have seen their business increase since March ****. This is particularly the case for manufacturers of packaging for food distributors, with over **% of companies experiencing an increase in activity of over **%. [***]
While a certain cyclicality seems inherent to the market (***).
The ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 French consumer preferences
European demand for plastic packaging
Packaging is the leading sector for plastic demand in Europe, accounting for **.*% of total plastic demand.
Plastic demand, by sector Europe, ****, as % of total demand Source: ****
Note that the share of plastic demand associated with the packaging sector has fallen slightly compared to **** (***). The construction sector ...
2.2 Consumers increasingly sensitive to eco-friendly packaging
Every year, French retailers invest *.* million euros in making plastic packaging more environmentally friendly. These investments reflect the importance that these distributors must attach to these issues today, as consumer concerns evolve, directly or indirectly influencing their purchasing habits. [***]
However, retailers are finding it difficult to change their practices, as **% of ...
2.3 Deposits: the future of plastic packaging?
In view of the environmental problems posed by today's use of disposable packaging, deposits are often seen as a solution. It's a solution that appeals to many consumers:
"Would you be in favor of introducing a deposit system in France?" France, ****, in Source: ****
The vast majority of respondents (***) would be ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Market organization and dynamics
The plastic packaging manufacturing sector is made up of a multitude of players, each with a clearly defined role. Manufacturers are generally responsible for the design and manufacture of packaging, in line with the specifications set by their customers. [***]
The packaging thus produced is then shipped to customers, who use it ...
3.2 A wide range of production methods
Average annual production of plastic packaging rose slightly over the period **** - ****, by an average of *.*% each year. However, it fell between **** and ****, demonstrating the uncertainties weighing on the sector even before the crisis of ****.
In ****, production began to rise again, and this has continued into **** , although the pre-pandemic level has ...
3.3 Interview with Sebastien Wolff, Excelrise CEO
Cantiane: Hello and welcome to Vue d'ensemble, the podcast that gives you a **-minute insight into the challenges facing a market. My name is Cantiane and I'm an analyst at Businesscoot, a start-up specializing in market research. Today, we're going to talk about the plastic packaging market, and to do so, ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 A wide range of plastic packaging products
Plastic packaging can take a variety of forms, the main ones being[***] :
flexible films ; formed sheets ; hollow bodies (***) ; foams; compact molded shapes.
The following table lists the prices of six plastic food paper products[***]:
4.2 Price trends
The graph below clearly illustrates the inflation experienced in France, and more broadly in Europe, since the start of the war in Ukraine, and the consequence of very low interest rates during the crisis.Since July ****, the index has been rising steadily, reaching a record high in March ****. However, according to ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Regulatory environment for plastic packaging
Given that plastic packaging is used for the presentation and preservation of many consumer products, it is subject to relatively strict regulations to avoid any risk to the consumer.
According to EC regulation n°****/****, plastic packaging must not present a health risk or alter the composition of foodstuffs (***). [***]
All products that ...
5.2 Unfavorable regulatory trends for plastics
Between **** and ****, a number of laws were passed at national and European level, which constrain manufacturers of plastic packaging in several ways:
The EGALIM law, passed in **** and coming into force in ****, prohibits the provision of cutlery, glass lids, ice cream pots and other disposable products, except those that are compostable ...
5.3 The AGEC law (Anti-waste for a circular economy)
Promulgated in early ****, the so-called AGEC law aims to transform consumption patterns to combat waste, reduce waste production and impact on biodiversity. In concrete terms, it comprises over *** articles, structured around * themes:
getting rid of disposable plastic ; better informing consumers ; combating waste and promoting solidarity-based re-use; acting against programmed obsolescence; better ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
Plastic packaging manufacturers and recycling
- Berry Global France
- Amcor
- Mondi France
- Sealed Air France
- Plastipak Packaging France
- Silgan Dispensing France
- Toray Films Europe
- Linpac Packaging (Klöckner Pentaplast)
- Albea Tubes France
- Rkw Group
- Coveris
- Guillin Groupe - Guillin Emballages
- APTAR FRance
- Alpha Packaging
- Clondalkin Group
- Lacroix Emballages Groupe
- Reborn Group
- CTL Packaging France
- Leygatech
- Constantia Flexibles
- Alpla Group
- Ceisa Packaging (Reborn Groupe)
- Guerin Plastiques
- Barbier groupe
- Fandi Emballages
- Sacophane
- Ribeyron
- Bolphane (Bolloré)
List of charts presented in this market study
- Trends in the size of the global plastic packaging market
- Breakdown of the plastic packaging market by category
- Worldwide share of the plastic packaging market
- Breakdown of plastics demand
- Breakdown of demand by type of plastic
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Latest news
In the Doubs region, the Guillin group acquires 49% of Wobz, a specialist in personalized cups - 21/05/2024
- Groupe Guillin European leader in food packaging
- 49% stake in Wobz, specialized in the personalization of reusable plastic cups and glasses for sporting and cultural events, parties and festivals
- plant in Oyonnax, Ain, specialized in digital inkjet printing.
- Wobz employs 60 people and is aiming for sales of 10 million euros in 2023.
- The Guillin Group employs 3,000 people at its 21 production sites in ten European countries, and its eleven distribution subsidiaries, and has sales of 884 million euros.
- Guillin had already acquired 80% of Creabag and Media Bag, specialists in advertising bread bags.
Beauty: Aptar boosts its Oyonnax plant | Aptar boosts its Oyonnax plant - 31/08/2023
- Aptar, the American specialist in health and beauty packaging, has moved into its €42 million plant in Oyonnax (Ain), in the Plastics Valley
- More than half of Aptar's customers are in Europe.
- The plant serves 2,400 customers worldwide.
- The plant employs 460 people
- Aptar's sales for the first half of 2023 were $1.7 billion
- Aptar has 49 plants, including 12 in France. Aptar plans to invest 133 million euros in Granville.
Aptar invests 42 million euros in Oyonnax - 01/07/2023
- Aptar Group has eight sites in France, mainly in Normandy, Alsace, Île-de-France and Auvergne Rhône-Alpes.
- The company has invested 42 million euros in its Oyonnax site (Ain)
- From 2020 to 2024, Aptar Group has invested over 174 million euros in France.
- Aptar Group has also invested in France in an "InVision Lab" innovation center in Louveciennes (Yvelines), and at its sites in Niederbronn-les-Bains (Bas-Rhin) and Le Vaudreuil/Val-de-Reuil (Eure)
Guillin takes over Italian food packaging specialist Ciesse Paper. - 31/10/2022
- Europe's leading producer of plastic trays acquires Ciesse Paper, Italy's number 1 producer of cardboard trays for fruit and vegetables
- The group has 31 subsidiaries in Europe, including 9 in the paperboard sector
- 3,000 employees
- Family-owned group listed on Euronext
- Consolidated sales of 741 million euros by 2021
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