US protective packaging demand will grow 4.6 percent annually through 2012, driven by manufacturing growth and the proliferation of Internet commerce. Fastest advances are anticipated for air pillows and insulated shipping containers, with protective mailers and bubble packaging also logging above-average growth.

This study analyzes the $4.1 billion US protective packaging industry. It presents historical demand data for the years 1997, 2002 and 2007, with forecasts for 2012 and 2017 by product (e.g., molded foam, foamed-in-place polyurethane, polyolefin rolls, protective mailers, paperboard protectors, bubble packaging, insulated shipping containers, air pillows, paper fill, dunnage bags, loose-fill, molded pulp); material and application.

The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 47 major players, including Sealed Air, Pregis and Tegrant.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


SECTION                                                                      PAGE

               INTRODUCTION                                                    ix

          I.   EXECUTIVE SUMMARY                                                1

         II.   MARKET ENVIRONMENT                                               4
               General                                                          4
               Macroeconomic Outlook                                            5
               Consumer Income & Spending Trends                                9
               Demographic Trends                                              11
               Manufacturing Outlook                                           14
               Electronic & Computer Trends                                    18
               Appliance Trends                                                20
               Retail Sales Outlook                                            21
               Internet & Catalog Sales Outlook                                24
               Packaging Industry Outlook                                      28
               Box Industry Outlook                                            31
               Plastic Resin Outlook                                           34
               Foamed Plastic Outlook                                          36
               Regulatory Considerations                                       37
               Recycling Trends                                                38
               Pricing Trends                                                  41
               International Activity                                          44

        III.   OVERVIEW                                                        46
               General                                                         46
               Products                                                        47
               Materials                                                       48
               Functions                                                       51
                   Cushioning                                                  53
                   Blocking & Bracing                                          54
                   Void-Fill                                                   56
                   Wrapping                                                    57
                   Insulation                                                  58
               Markets                                                         59

         IV.   FOAMED PLASTIC                                                  63
               General                                                         63
               Molded Foam                                                     65
                   Expanded Polystyrene                                        66
                     Materials                                                 68
                     Applications                                              69
                     Producers                                                 70
                   Polyolefins                                                 72
                     Materials                                                 73
                     Applications                                              74
                     Producers                                                 74
                   Polyurethane                                                77
                     Materials & Applications                                  78
                     Producers                                                 79
               Foamed-in-Place Polyurethane                                    80
                   Materials & Applications                                    81
                   Producers                                                   82
               Polyolefin Rolls                                                83

          V.   OTHER PROTECTIVE PACKAGING                                      87
               General                                                         87
               Protective Mailers                                              90
                   Materials & Applications                                    92
                   Producers                                                   93
               Paperboard Protectors                                           96
                   Materials & Applications                                    97
                   Producers                                                   99
               Bubble Packaging                                               101
                   Materials & Applications                                   102
                   Producers                                                  103
               Insulated Shipping Containers                                  105
                   Materials                                                  106
                   Applications                                               108
                   Producers                                                  109
	       Air Pillows                                                    112
                   Materials & Applications                                   113
                   Producers                                                  114
               Paper Fill                                                     116
                   Materials & Applications                                   117
                   Producers                                                  118
               Dunnage Bags                                                   120
                   Materials & Applications                                   121
                   Producers                                                  122
               Loose-Fill                                                     123
                   Expanded Polystyrene Loose-Fill                            124
                   Degradable Plastic Loose-Fill                              127
                   Users                                                      129
               Molded Pulp                                                    130
                   Materials & Applications                                   131
                   Producers                                                  132

         VI.   INDUSTRY STRUCTURE                                             134
               General                                                        134
               Market Share                                                   138
                   Sealed Air                                                 139
                   Pregis                                                     140
                   Tegrant                                                    141
                   Other Leaders                                              141
               Acquisitions & Divestitures                                    143
               Marketing & Distribution                                       149
               Competitive Strategies                                         153
               Cooperative Agreements                                         154
               Company Profiles                                               157
                   Alcoa Incorporated                                         159
                   Alga Plastics Company, see Sealed Air Corporation             
                   American Excelsior Company                                 160
                   Barnhardt Manufacturing Company                            161
                   BASF AG                                                    162
                   Bayer AG                                                   164
                   Besin International BV, see Pregis Corporation                
                   Biosphere Industries LLC, see Sealed Air Corporation          
                   Buckeye Corrugated Incorporated                            166
                   Caraustar Industries Incorporated                          167
                   Carpenter Company                                          169
                   Cellect LLC                                                170
                   Cellofoam North America Incorporated                       171
                   Cold Chain Technologies Incorporated                       172
                   Corbi Plastics LLC, see Menasha Corporation                   
                   Createc Corporation                                        174
                   Dow Chemical Company                                       175
                   Elwood Packaging Incorporated                              177
                   Foam Fabricators Incorporated                              178
                   FP International Incorporated, see Free-Flow Packaging International Incorporated
                   Free-Flow Packaging International Incorporated             179
                   Great Northern Corporation                                 182
                   Huntsman Corporation                                       184
                   Illinois Tool Works Incorporated                           185
                   INEOS NOVA LLC, see NOVA Chemicals Corporation                
                   Ivex Packaging LLC                                         187
                   KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation                   189
                   Koch Container, see Buckeye Corrugated Incorporated           
                   Lewisbins+, see Menasha Corporation                           
                   Life-Like Products LLC, see Lifoam Industries LLC             
                   Lifoam Industries LLC                                      190
                   Marko Foam Products Incorporated                           191
                   MeadWestvaco Corporation                                   193
                   Menasha Corporation                                        194
                   Multi-Wall Packaging Corporation                           196
                   NOVA Chemicals Corporation                                 198
                   NanoCool LLC, see MeadWestvaco Corporation                    
                   Nelipak Holdings BV, see Sealed Air Corporation               
                   ORBIS Corporation, see Menasha Corporation                    
                   Pak-Lite Incorporated                                      200
                   Plastilite Corporation                                     201
                   Polar Tech Industries Incorporated                         202
                   Polyair Inter Pack Incorporated                            204
                   Pregis Corporation                                         206
                   ProPak Industrial Foam Products, see Lifoam Industries        
                   Protexic Brands, see Tegrant Corporation                      
                   Rank Group Limited                                         211
                   Ranpak Corporation                                         213
                   RAPAC Incorporated                                         214
                   Rock-Tenn Company                                          216
                   Rogers Foam Corporation                                    218
                   RTS Packaging LLC, see Rock-Tenn Company and Sonoco Products Company
                   SCA Packaging North America, see Tegrant Corporation          
                   Sealed Air Corporation                                     219
                   Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation                        226
                   Sonoco Products Company                                    227
                   Southern Container Corporation, see Rock-Tenn                 
                   Stephenson & Lawyer Incorporated, see UFP Technologies
                   Storopack Hans Reichenecker GmbH                           229
                   SurePak Incorporated, see RAPAC Incorporated                  
                   Svenska Cellulosa AB                                       231
                   Tech Pak Solutions Incorporated, see Lifoam Industries        
                   Tegrant Corporation                                        232
                   Tennessee Packaging, see Buckeye Corrugated                   
                   THARCO                                                     235
                   ThermoSafe Brands, see Tegrant Corporation                    
                   3M Company                                                 237
                   True Pack Limited                                          238
                   UFP Technologies Incorporated                              239

                                LIST OF TABLES
                                        
TABLE NUMBER                                                                 PAGE

               SECTION I -- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
               Summary Table                                                    3

               SECTION II -- MARKET ENVIRONMENT
           1   Macroeconomic Indicators                                         9
           2   Personal Consumption Expenditures                               11
           3   Population & Households                                         14
           4   Manufacturers' Shipments                                        17
           5   Electronic & Computer Product Shipments                         19
           6   Appliance Shipments                                             21
           7   Retail Sales                                                    23
           8   Electronic & Mail Order Shopping Sales by Type
                   & Product, 2002 & 2007                                      27
           9   Packaging Supply & Demand                                       31
          10   Corrugated & Paperboard Box Shipments by Type                   33
          11   Plastic Resin Supply & Demand                                   35
          12   Pricing for Protective Packaging                                44

               SECTION III -- OVERVIEW
           1   Protective Packaging Demand by Product                          48
           2   Protective Packaging Demand by Material                         50
           3   Protective Packaging Demand by Function                         52
           4   Protective Packaging Demand by Market                           62

               SECTION IV -- FOAMED PLASTIC
           1   Foamed Plastic Protective Packaging Demand                      64
           2   Molded Foam Protective Packaging Demand                         66
           3   Molded Expanded Polystyrene Protective Packaging Demand         68
           4   Molded Polyolefin Protective Packaging Demand                   73
           5   Molded Polyurethane Protective Packaging Demand                 78
           6   Foamed-in-Place Polyurethane Protective Packaging Demand        81
           7   Polyolefin Roll Protective Packaging Demand                     86

               SECTION V -- OTHER PROTECTIVE PACKAGING
           1   Other Protective Packaging Demand by Type                       89
           2   Protective Mailer Demand                                        91
           3   Paperboard Protector Demand                                     97
           4   Bubble Packaging Demand                                        102

           5   Insulated Shipping Container Demand                            106
           6   Air Pillow Demand                                              113
           7   Paper Fill Packaging Demand                                    117
           8   Dunnage Bag Demand                                             121
           9   Loose-Fill Packaging Demand by Type                            124
          10   Expanded Polystyrene Loose-Fill Packaging Demand               127
          11   Degradable Plastic Loose-Fill Packaging Demand                 129
          12   Loose-Fill Packaging Demand by Use                             130
          13   Molded Pulp Protective Packaging Demand                        131

               SECTION VI -- INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
           1   US Protective Packaging Sales by Company, 2007                 136
           2   Selected Acquisitions & Divestitures                           146
           3   Selected Cooperative Agreements                                156

                                 LIST OF CHARTS
                                        
CHART NUMBER                                                                 PAGE

               SECTION III -- OVERVIEW
           1   Protective Packaging Demand by Material, 2007                   51
           2   Protective Packaging Demand by Function, 2007                   53
           3   Protective Packaging Demand by Market, 2007                     62

               SECTION IV -- FOAMED PLASTIC
           1   Foamed Plastic Protective Packaging Demand, 2007                64
               
               SECTION V -- OTHER PROTECTIVE PACKAGING
           1   Other Protective Packaging Demand by Type, 2007                 90

               SECTION VI -- INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
           1   US Protective Packaging Market Share, 2007                     139
           2   Protective Packaging Industry Flowchart                        152