Middle East and Africa Active and Intelligent Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

The Latin America Active and Intelligent Packaging market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.2% over the forecast period (2021 - 2026). Since most countries are under lockdown, and even post-COVID-19, keeping social distancing in mind, people will be afraid to go out shopping. As a result, there will be an increase in online purchasing. Until now, online buying of groceries was only limited to cosmopolitan or metro cities, but soon, it will be a preferred mode of buying in small cities and towns. This is further anticipated to witness a rise in the packaging sector and boost the development of active and intelligent packaging.

Key Highlights

• Intelligent packaging is enabled to sense and measure some variables of the food that it encloses or the environment in which it is kept. This feature enables it to inform the stakeholders (manufacturer, retailer, and consumer) of the state of the food through measured properties.
• An intelligent packaging system contains smart devices that are small, inexpensive labels or tags, capable of acquiring, storing, and transferring information about the parameters, functions, and properties of the food contained inside the package.
• Active packaging absorbs food chemicals derived from the food or the environment within the packaging that surrounds the food or releases substances, such as preservatives, antioxidants, and flavoring, into the food or the food's surrounding environment.
• However, safety concerns related to the adoption of sachet-type oxygen scavenging in food, such as accidental ingestion of the sachet by consumers and spill/leak of the sachet contents into food, can be harmful. They are the major factors challenging the growing use of oxygen scavengers in the market.

Key Market Trends

Personal Care is One of the Factor Driving the Market

• However, sophisticated cosmetics, such as special oils, vitamins, and herbal compounds, need high protection from light and contamination. These products also require to have an extended shelf life. Thus, flexible and multi-layer barrier packaging films are used, often incorporating aluminum foil.​
• With the increasing millennial population, coupled with innovation, marketing campaigns, and higher penetration of smaller category cosmetics, the market for flexible packaging in personal care is expected to witness growth over the forecast period.​
• Furthermore, there is an increasing demand for cosmetics, due to the shifting trends of grooming among both gender types. The manufacturers of cosmetic products rely on extensive advertisement through different media for selling various cosmetic items.
• However, the cosmetics industry faces several challenges in South Africa due to the weakening economic conditions of the country. The country’s GDP growth has slowed down significantly. Also, high unemployment and less personal disposable income are certain factors creating challenges for the cosmetic industry.

Active Packaging is Observing a Significant Increase

• The concept of active packaging is completely associated with the quality of the packaged content. Active packaging interacts directly with the packaged product, as it is in direct contact with the product and can interact chemically or biologically with the packaged product.
• In order to improve the shelf life of the product, certain components are incorporated into packaging that release or absorb from or into the packed substance to prolong its shelf life and sustain the quality of the product. This process is termed as active packaging. For this purpose, various technologies are used, which include oxygen scavengers, microwave susceptors, odor absorbers/emitters, moisture/ humidity absorbers, and anti-microbial packaging.
• In this disinfecting process, the N95 mask and the small strip of ActivShield are placed inside a one-gallon plastic bag. The strip releases a controlled amount of chlorine dioxide inside the sealed bag to decontaminate the N95 mask. The process takes only three hours until the mask is ready to wear again. It can be performed on-site at the local hospital where the mask is being .
• The rising demand for packaged food is boosting the active packaging market. The growing inclination of customers toward packaged and ready-to-eat foodstuffs is propelling the active packaging market, and this trend is expected to continue within the forecast period. Chopped and packaged fruits and vegetables employ active packaging to a large extent, as they release gases within the packaging used.

Competitive Landscape

The Middle East and Africa Active and Intelligent Packaging market are moderately consolidated, with a few major companies like BASF SE, Amcor Ltd, Honeywell International Inc., Landec Corporation, Bemis Company Inc., Crown Holdings Inc.Ball Corporation, Timestrip UK Ltd are some players. The companies are continuously investing in making strategic partnerships and product developments to gain more market share. Some of the recent developments in the market are:

• May 2021 - A new thermoforming packaging solution has been developed by Sealed Air. When compared to commonly used laminates, Sealed Air claims that the new CRYOVAC brand LID830R is a thin, high abuse resistance, anti-fog top lid film that can reduce packing weight by up to 50%.
• August 2021 - Amcor, one of the global pioneers in developing and producing a diverse range of reliable packaging solutions, today announced the debut of a proprietary healthcare lidding technology that will be used for combination products containing two or more regulated components (device, drug, or biologic). Amcor's most recent invention is based on patented inert film development and laminate design. It offers a lidding solution that can endure heat sterilization, which conserves and sterilizes products while preventing drug uptake into the package.

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