Protective packaging demand in the US is projected to increase 5.0 percent annually to $5.9 billion in 2016. The increasing popularity of Internet shopping will benefit protective mailers, air pillows and bubble packaging. A recovery in manufacturing will spur gains for foam and molded pulp protective packaging.

This study analyzes the $4.6 billion US protective packaging industry. It presents historical demand data for the years 2001, 2006 and 2011, and forecasts for 2016 and 2021 by function, market and product (e.g., protective mailers, bubble packaging, insulated shipping containers, paperboard protectors, molded foam, foam-in place polyurethane, loose-fill).

The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 42 industry players, including Sealed Air, Sonoco Products and Pregis.

				    TABLE OF CONTENTS

     SECTION									    PAGE

		INTRODUCTION							      ix

	I.	EXECUTIVE SUMMARY						       1

	II.	MARKET ENVIRONMENT						       4
		General								       4
		Macroeconomic Outlook						       5
		Consumer Income & Spending Trends				       8
		Demographic Trends						      11
		Manufacturing Outlook						      15
		Electronic & Computer Trends					      18
		Appliance Trends						      20
		Retail Sales Outlook						      22
		Internet & Catalog Sales Outlook				      24
		Packaging Industry Outlook					      29
		Box Industry Outlook						      31
		Foamed Plastic Overview						      34
		Environmental Considerations					      36
		Regulatory Considerations					      40
		Pricing Trends							      42
		International Activity						      46

	III.	OVERVIEW							      49
		General								      49
		Products							      50
		Materials							      52
		Functions							      56
		   Cushioning							      58
		   Blocking & Bracing						      59
		   Insulation							      61
		   Void-Fill							      62
		   Wrapping							      63
		Markets								      63
		   Manufacturing						      65
		   Non-Manufacturing						      67

	IV.	FLEXIBLE PROTECTIVE PACKAGING					      70
		General								      70
		Protective Mailers						      73
		   Materials & Applications					      74
		   Producers							      76
		Bubble Packaging						      79
		   Materials & Applications					      80
		   Producers							      81
		Air Pillows							      83
		   Materials & Applications					      85
		   Producers							      87
		Paper Fill							      89
		   Materials & Applications					      91
		   Producers							      92
		Dunnage Bags							      94
		   Materials & Applications					      96
		   Producers							      97
		Other Flexible Protective Packaging				      97

	V.	RIGID PROTECTIVE PACKAGING					      99
		General								      99
		Insulated Shipping Containers					     102
		   Materials							     103
		   Applications							     106
		   Producers							     108
		Paperboard Protectors						     111
		   Materials & Applications					     112
		   Producers							     115
		Molded Pulp							     117
		   Materials & Applications					     118
		   Producers							     119
		Other Rigid Protective Packaging				     120

	VI.	FOAMED PLASTIC PROTECTIVE PACKAGING				     123
		General								     123
		Molded Foam							     126
		   Expanded Polystyrene						     128
		      Materials							     130
		      Applications						     132
		      Producers							     133
		   Polyolefins							     135
		      Materials							     136
		      Applications						     137
		      Producers							     138
		   Polyurethane							     140
		      Materials & Applications					     141
		      Producers							     142
		Foam-in-Place Polyurethane					     143
		   Materials & Applications					     145
		   Producers							     145
		Polyolefin Rolled Foam						     147
		   Materials & Applications					     148
		   Producers							     149
		Loose-Fill							     151
		   Expanded Polystyrene Loose-Fill				     153
		   Biodegradable Plastic Loose-Fill				     156
		Other Foams							     159

	VII.	INDUSTRY STRUCTURE						     162
		General								     162
		Market Share							     165
		Acquisitions & Divestitures					     170
		Marketing & Distribution					     174
		Competitive Strategies						     178
		Cooperative Agreements						     180
		Company Profiles						     184
		   ACH Foam Technologies LLC					     185
		   American Excelsior Company					     187
		   Automated Packaging Systems Incorporated			     188
		   Barnhardt Manufacturing Company				     190
		   BASF SE							     191
		   Bayer AG							     193
		   Boise Incorporated						     195
		   Buckeye Corrugated Incorporated				     197
		   Caraustar Industries Incorporated				     198
		   Carpenter Company						     200
		   Cascades Incorporated					     201
		   Cellofoam North America Incorporated				     203
		   Cold Chain Technologies Incorporated				     204
		   CPI Packaging, see Sealed Air
		   Cryopak, see TCP Reliable
		   Ecovative Design LLC						     206
		   EnviroCooler, see Lifoam Industries
		   Foam Fabricators Incorporated				     207
		   Free-Flow Packaging International Incorporated		     209
		   FP International, see Free-Flow Packaging International
		   Great Northern Corporation					     212
		   Huntington Foam LLC						     214
		   HEXACOMB, see Boise
		   Huntsman Corporation						     215
		   Illinois Tool Works Incorporated				     216
		   ITW Shippers, see Illinois Tool Works
		   iVEX Protective Packaging, see Specialized Packaging Group
		   Koch Container, see Buckeye Corrugated
		   Landaal Packaging Systems Incorporated			     219
		   Lifoam Industries LLC					     220
		   Marko Foam Products Incorporated				     221
		   Menasha Corporation						     223
		   Multi-Wall Packaging Corporation				     225
		   NanoPore Insulation, see Sealed Air
		   NOVA Chemicals Corporation					     227
		   ORBIS, see Menasha
		   Pak-Lite Incorporated					     228
		   Polar Tech Industries Incorporated				     230
		   Polyair Inter Pack Incorporated				     231
		   Pregis Corporation						     233
		   Ranpak Corporation						     238
		   RAPAC, see Ring Companies
		   Ring Companies						     240
		   Rock-Tenn Company						     241
		   Rogers Foam Corporation					     245
		   RTS Packaging, see Rock-Tenn & Sonoco Products
		   Sealed Air Corporation					     246
		   Sonoco Products Company					     251
		   Specialized Packaging Group LP				     255
		   Stephenson & Lawyer, see UFP Technologies
		   Storopack Hans Reichenecker GmbH				     258
		   TCP Reliable							     260
		   Tegrant, see Sonoco Products
		   Tennessee Packaging, see Buckeye Corrugated
		   THARCO, see Boise
		   3M Company							     263
		   True Pack Limited						     264
		   UFP Technologies Incorporated				     265
		   WineLoc Packaging Products, see ACH Foam Technologies
		Other Companies in the Protective Packaging Industry		     268


				      LIST OF TABLES

    TABLE NUMBER								    PAGE


		SECTION I -- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
		Summary Table							       3

		SECTION II -- MARKET ENVIRONMENT
	1	Macroeconomic Indicators					       8
	2	Personal Consumption Expenditures				      11
	3	Population & Households						      15
	4	Manufacturers’ Shipments					      18
	5	Electronic & Computer Product Shipments				      20
	6	Major Household Appliance Shipments				      22
	7	Retail Sales							      24
	8	Electronic & Mail Order Shopping Sales by Type & Product	      28
	9	Packaging Supply & Demand					      31
	10	Corrugated & Paperboard Box Shipments by Type			      34
	11	Protective Packaging Prices					      46

		SECTION III -- OVERVIEW
	1	Protective Packaging Demand by Type				      52
	2	Protective Packaging Demand by Material				      55
	3	Protective Packaging Demand by Function				      57
	4	Protective Packaging Demand by Market				      64
	5	Manufacturing Market for Protective Packaging			      67
	6	Non-Manufacturing Market for Protective Packaging		      69

		SECTION IV -- FLEXIBLE PROTECTIVE PACKAGING
	1	Flexible Protective Packaging Demand by Type			      72
	2	Protective Mailer Demand by Type & Market			      74
	3	Bubble Packaging Demand by Market				      80
	4	Air Pillow Demand by Market					      85
	5	Paper Fill Packaging Demand by Market				      90
	6	Dunnage Bag Demand by Material & Market				      95
	7	Other Flexible Protective Packaging Demand			      98

		SECTION V -- RIGID PROTECTIVE PACKAGING
	1	Rigid Protective Packaging Demand by Type			     101
	2	Insulated Shipping Container Demand by Application & Market	     103
	3	Paperboard Protector Demand by Market				     112
	4	Molded Pulp Protective Packaging Demand by Market		     118
	5	Other Rigid Protective Packaging Demand				     122

		SECTION VI -- FOAMED PLASTIC PROTECTIVE PACKAGING
	1	Foamed Plastic Protective Packaging Demand			     125
	2	Molded Foam Protective Packaging Demand				     128
	3	Molded Expanded Polystyrene Protective Packaging 
		   Demand by Market						     130
	4	Molded Polyolefin Protective Packaging Demand by Market		     136
	5	Molded Polyurethane Protective Packaging Demand by Market	     141
	6	Foam-In-Place Polyurethane Protective Packaging 
		   Demand by Market						     144
	7	Polyolefin Rolled Foam Protective Packaging 
		   Demand by Market						     148
	8	Loose-Fill Packaging Demand by Type				     153
	9	Expanded Polystyrene Loose-fill Packaging Demand		     156
	10	Biodegradable Plastic Loose-Fill Packaging Demand		     159
	11	Other Foamed Plastic Protective Packaging Demand		     161

		SECTION VII -- INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
	1	US Protective Packaging Sales by Company, 2011			     164
	2	Selected Acquisitions & Divestitures				     173
	3	Selected Cooperative Agreements					     183

				      LIST OF CHARTS

    CHART NUMBER								    PAGE


		SECTION III -- OVERVIEW
	1	Protective Packaging Demand by Material, 2011			      55
	2	Protective Packaging Demand by Function, 2011			      57
	3	Protective Packaging Demand by Market, 2011			      65

		SECTION IV -- FLEXIBLE PROTECTIVE PACKAGING
	1	Flexible Protective Packaging Demand by Type, 2011		      72

		SECTION V -- RIGID PROTECTIVE PACKAGING
	1	Rigid Protective Packaging Demand by Type, 2011			     101

		SECTION VI -- FOAMED PLASTIC PROTECTIVE PACKAGING
	1	Foamed Plastic Protective Packaging Demand, 2011		     126

		SECTION VII -- INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
	1	US Protective Packaging Market Share, 2011			     167
	2	Protective Packaging Industry Flowchart				     177