Canada Plastic Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

The Canada Plastic Packaging market was expected to register a CAGR of 2.52% during the forecast period (2021-2026). The COVID-19 pandemic provided significant relief to the plastic packaging vendors. Although many countries were slowly banning such packaging and promoting reusable packaging, the outbreak changed the consumers’ and governments’ behavior toward them. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the demand for nutritional drinks and healthy food increased exponentially. The majority of these products are packaged with single-use plastic. The orders were so huge on a global level that the manufacturers and packaging companies in the field even expanded their facilities, which was also supported by most of the governments.

Key Highlights

• Plastic packaging solutions find applications across various industries in the region, such as retail, manufacturing, and healthcare. These solutions have gained significant traction in the Canadian healthcare industry due to their high barrier properties, long shelf-life, and durability. The demand for plastic packaging solutions will further continue to rise throughout the forecast period.
• There was a push to develop technologies where barrier materials are in sync with approved recycling protocols and quality metrics. Many resin companies are working hard to find solutions to these problems. Most of these have been single-use containers, but several brands are trying to push back the increased use of recycled plastic to address consumer concerns. However, different technologies are being developed to use plastic recycled from non-mechanical processes, such as chemical recycling. The success of these efforts may negatively affect the use of single-use plastic packaging.
• In mid of 2020, Hugo Boss announced the launch of its new Canadian e-commerce platform. Canada is one of 24 additional countries to receive localized shopping capabilities that include localized pricing, shipping options, and free returns. In April 2021, Gap-owned brand Athleta announced its plans to enter the Canadian market in late 2021, with both e-commerce and retail capabilities.
• The region is marked by the introduction of various legislations that ban the use of single-use plastics, which pose a challenge for the growth of the studied market. For instance, Canada announced in October 2020 a federal ban of single-use plastic products effective by the end of 2021, aligned with the goal of zero plastic waste by 2030.

Key Market Trends

Plastic Bottles is Observing a Significant Increase

• The plastic bottles market is growing in Canada because of the increasing demand for the FMCG sector, which might ensure the broad adoption of plastic bottles and containers in Canada's food, beverage, pharmaceuticals, and other industries. However, many of the organizations are protesting and building pressure on the government to ban plastic products. This pressure may hinder the plastic bottles and containers market in the beverage segment.
• The usage of plastic is likely to slow down with the growing awareness about environmental concerns gradually. Many consumers in the United States and Canada are increasingly moving toward eco-friendly packaging materials. As the usage of plastic and plastic products has potentially hazardous implications on the environment, governments in these countries have imposed very stringent rules and regulations in the industry, making it a relatively slower-growing industry compared to other materials.​
• The Canadian beverage industry aims to have all of its bottles recycled, regardless of consumption. In partnership with the government, the industry created Public Spaces Recycling to capture the last mile of recyclables, such as items typically achieved through curbside recycling programs that consumers abandon in recreational facilities, parks, public schools, businesses and transit stops, institutions, and gas stations.
• According to the Canadian Bottled Water Association, plastic water bottles are the third-highest recycled products in Canada, after newspapers and aluminum. The material obtained from recycled plastic bottles is used to manufacture playground equipment, automobile parts, fleece clothing, shoes, carpeting, sleeping bags, luggage, and another plastic packaging.

Healthcare is One of the Factor Driving the Market

• The usage of dropper bottles is predominantly seen with people having eye syndrome. An increasing population with eye syndrome has boosted the demand for dropper bottles in Canada. The changing lifestyles of individuals, particularly the extended usage of electronic gadgets, such as computers and TV, have led to an upsurge in the prevalence of dry eye syndrome.
• The market for plastic bottles in the pharmaceutical sector is anticipated to be affected by the new regulations restricting cough syrups. Cough syrups like Robitussin A.C., Dimetapp-C, and acetaminophen with codeine are sedating pain relievers that have been marketed for many decades.​
• For instance, according to new regulations by Health Canada, cough syrups containing codeine would require a particular type of prescription and would also be secured in vaults at pharmacies. However, due to the opioid crisis observed by the country in recent years, pharmacists have been calling on the federal government to regulate access to over-the-counter codeine.​
• Caps that are to be used for pharmaceutical purposes are designed to withstand the many different static and dynamic forces they will encounter during transport, handling, and storage operations as caps made of plastic are highly transparent and resistant to falling, impact, and biocompatibility. Hence, the demand for plastic caps in the pharmaceutical industry is likely to grow in the future.

Competitive Landscape

As the demand for plastic packaging has been increasing significantly in the Canada region, the market is mildly concentrated with the presence of major players like Amcor, Coveris Holding, Berry Global, Sealed Air Corporation, Constantia Flexibles, among others.

• Dec 2020- In partnership with global packaging company Amcor, Mars Food will bring the first food-safe, mono-material microwavable rice pouch to market beginning in 2021. The breakthrough packaging technology will make the pouches for Mars Food’s household brands such as Ben’s Original and Seeds of Change recyclable where infrastructure exists. With an initial launch in the first half of 2021, the business has ambitions to scale the technology across its portfolio, beginning at the back half of the year.
• March 2021 - A partner for the maintenance, repair, and handling of passive bulk temperature-controlled containers at several key locations was announced by Sonoco ThermoSafe, a Sonoco unit provider of temperature-assured packaging solutions, and Unilode Aviation Solutions, a company dealing with outsourced unit load management and repair services.

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