Demand for fibre packaging to rise: Smithers
According to the latest Smithers’ new market report, the use of recycled materials and more fibre-based formats is a dominant trend across packaging design.
24 Feb 2025 | By WhatPackaging? Team
In its newly published report, The Future of Sustainable Packaging: Long-term Strategic Forecasts to 2034, Smithers tracks this innovation across a global industry valued at $1.23 trillion in 2024 and examines how regulations such as the PPWR, Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will reshape the business landscape.
Across the ten years to 2034, fibre-based packaging materials (paper, board, and moulded pulp) will continue to grow their share, increasing to over 40% in 2034. For fibre-based formats, Europe is already a mature market for material recovery, although investment in infrastructure in North America and multiple less developed markets will improve the availability of recycled pulp.
The greater availability of post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins will help plastics (flexibles and rigid) maintain a significant proportion of the total global market, increasing to 38.6% in 2034. This will be supported by the increased use of mono-material flexible plastic packaging.
The percentage of circular materials used will increase in all packaging categories across 2024-2034. The greatest increase comes from rigid plastic packaging. Mandates to use higher levels of PCR content, principally for PET, will be driving this. As more DRS are established, high-grade resin supplies are set to increase.
The highest circularity rates – already well over 70% in 2024 – will remain for metal and glass.
Flexible plastics will remain the least circular packaging type, despite some improvements. This will accelerate mainly after 2030, as investment in chemical (advanced) recycling lines increases the supply of recycled polyolefin flexibles, including higher purity resins suitable for food contact.