Flexible packaging is the leading type of packaging in Western Europe, very heavily used in the packaged food industry, and with ever increasing usage in the dog and cat food industry. With sustainability concerns remaining top of mind, players are committing themselves to ambitious targets in terms of their production and packaging, while the EU is also driving developments in this area with legislation such as its Plastics Levy.
Key Findings
Flexible packaging the leading pack type
Flexible packaging, with a 35% share of overall retail packaging unit volumes, is the number one pack type in Western Europe. Within flexible packaging itself, flexible plastic is the dominant pack type, accounting for more than two thirds of total units. While packaged food accounts for by far the greatest number of flexible packaging units, this type of packaging has a greater share of sales in dog and cat food.
Mondi launches FlexiBag Reinforced
Mondi has launching FlexiBag Reinforced, which is a range of new mono-PE-based, recyclable packaging solutions with improved mechanical properties, with the latter offering better puncture resistance, stiffness and sealability. The level of barrier protection can be adjusted, providing medium to high barriers against fat, oxygen and moisture, to keep the content fresh.
Nestlé invests in Impact Recycling
Nestlé is investing in UK-based Impact Recycling to process the hard-to-recycle flexible plastic typically used in food packaging into pellets to make new flexible products such as refuse bags. This is helping drive innovation to increase the UK’s capacity to recycle flexible plastic packaging, which is a priority area for the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge.
Positive growth expected from 2024
Flexible packaging is expected to be back on track with solid, if relatively modest, year-on-year growth from 2024. This follows the growth spike seen in 2020 when demand increased as consumers spent more time at home due to COVID-19 lockdowns and foodservice closures and the dip in sales when Western Europe was hit by unprecedentedly high inflation in 2022, with this still impacting many household goods markets in 2023.
Report Scope
The Flexible Packaging in Western Europe global briefing offers an insight into to the size and shape of the packaging market, highlights the effect of emerging geographies, categories and consumer trends on the packaging landscape. It identifies the leading pack types, offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the packaging market - be they packaging innovations, consumption growth, category switching, economic/lifestyle influences, legislation or environmental issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change and criteria for success.
Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.
Why buy this report?
- Get a detailed picture of the Packaging market
- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change
- Understand the competitive environment, the market’s major players and leading brands
- Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.
Table of Contents
Companies Mentioned (Partial List)
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- Mondi
- Nestlé
