Global Food Packaging Report

Report Overview

Regulations, sustainability, price inflation, and rapid growth in developing markets shake up the global food packaging market

Key Themes Covered in this Report:

• The impact of sustainability, increasing regulations, and materials competition and how it varies among countries and regions
• Product innovation efforts by producers and end users to solve environmental issues while also maintaining or improving packaging performance
• The heavy impact strong growth in modern retail food sales is having on the amount and type of packaging used in developing economies
• Price inflation and how it is impacting sustainability efforts

Key Questions Answered in the Report:

• How are regulations and sustainability initiatives impacting food packaging demand?
• What materials are replacing conventional plastic?
• What regions and markets are driving demand?

Featuring 168 Tables & 148 Figures!

Global demand for food packaging is forecast to increase 6.0% per year to $422 billion in 2029, driven by healthy increases in unit volume and a favorable shift in product mix toward higher-value formats. While sustainability remains a strategic imperative, cost pressures and performance requirements are returning as a competitive focus. The market is increasingly bifurcated: mature markets are pushing differentiation, premium performance, and circularity, while developing markets continue to increase packaging intensity, shifting from informal or minimal packaging to conventional packaging options.

Despite Sustainability Pressures, Plastic Packaging Remains Dominant in Food Applications

Plastic packaging will continue to hold the largest share of global food packaging demand based on its favorable cost-to-performance balance, versatility, existing scale advantages, and widespread availability in most global markets. Innovations in recyclability, recycling technology, mono-material films, and design for circularity are expected to help mitigate regulatory and consumer pressure to some degree. In addition, in many developing and emerging markets, the cost premium of alternatives remains a barrier to their wider adoption.

Developing Markets Drive the Next Wave of Growth, Redefine Global Packaging Mix

Developing markets – especially in the Asia/Pacific region, Africa, and the Middle East – will account for a significant share of global growth in food packaging unit demand as they shift toward modern retail, higher processed food consumption, and convenience formats. The transition from informal or non-packaged food sales toward packaged formats will result in a sharp jump in packaging requirements. However, while packaging intensity will increase, many regional markets will continue to rely on low-cost packaging options, resulting in a shift in the global mix away from the premium-heavy packaging seen in mature markets. In addition, adoption rates will be uneven across countries and product categories, requiring localized strategies. Some markets will remain constrained by cost sensitivity, infrastructure limitations, or consumer price resistance.

Balancing Sustainability, Cost, & Performance Key to Market Growth

Going forward, packaging suppliers will face continued tension between performance, cost, and circularity initiatives. Inflationary pressures on raw materials, energy, and logistics are pushing cost back into decision criteria, reversing a few years of aggressive premiumization. More stringent regulation, extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, consumer demand for environmental credentials, and corporate sustainability goals will continue to drive the use of more circular designs in advanced economies. Suppliers increasingly need to optimize by improving barrier performance, lightweighting, enhancing recyclability and recycling rates, developing modular or reusable systems, and investing in collection and sorting infrastructure. Those able to deliver packaging that meets performance requirements at an acceptable cost and with a credible sustainability profile will likely outperform, especially in mature markets.
 

Global Food Packaging Report Details

Leading Companies Driving Trends in the Global Food Packaging Industry

Food Packaging Formats (Rigid vs. Flexible)

In the broadest terms, food packaging includes rigid and flexible products, with competition coming both between these two broad types and among the products within each of those categories.

Factors that determine the mix of packaging at this level include cost and product performance, though sustainability initiatives are increasingly important. Sustainability-focused regulations and corporate commitments are expected to accelerate adoption of lighter, recyclable solutions in both packaging sectors.

Rigid packaging will continue to account for the largest share of global food packaging demand, with 65% of overall value demand in 2029. This market leadership is due primarily to the large number of corrugated boxes and folding cartons used worldwide both as primary packaging and secondary or case packaging. Rigid formats include primarily boxes, folding cartons, bottles, cans, cups and tubs, but also a wide variety of other niche packaging products such as aseptic cartons, clamshells, or composite cans.  

Flexible packaging is expected to continue gaining slight market share, supported by its cost efficiency, light weight, and adaptability to convenience-oriented formats. Flexible formats will continue to dominate in cost-sensitive food segments and gain ground in applications where it can reduce material use or provide product differentiation.

However, many packaging systems rely on both rigid and flexible components and this will support growth in both packaging formats. For example, trays are often used with wrap or lidding and can be put in a folding carton; lidding is also often used in conjunction with bottles, jars, cups and other rigid containers for added protection and consumer safety. Newer, and or fast-growing packaging systems like bag in box (BIB) and vacuum skin packaging often include both rigid and flexible components to benefit from the advantages both formats offer.

Global Food Packaging Report Scope

What is Included in this Report

This study examines the global market for food packaging, defined as primary and secondary packaging materials sold to food manufacturers and distributors, primarily for packaging products targeted for retail sale or sold to foodservice operations.

Products excluded from the scope of this report are the following:

• bulk packaging such as shipping sacks, intermediate bulk containers, strapping, pallet wrap, drums, bulk pails, and material handling containers
• in-store packaging used for self-service in produce, deli, and bakery departments
• packaging accessories such as tags, tape, and labels
• protective packaging including insulated shipping containers
• separately sold caps and closures
• shipping and transit packaging, defined as packaging that does not touch the food itself or provide a packaging function but that is used solely for the purposes of shipping or storage, such as shipping boxes, shipping containers, or mailers used for e-commerce.
• unconverted materials sold to food manufacturers for captive packaging production (although the value of the finished packaging produced captively by end users is included)

This report only includes packaging for packaged processed food sold for human consumption. The following are thus excluded from the scope of this report:

• beverage packaging
• fresh produce packaging
• pet food and animal feed packaging
• foodservice products such as cups, lids, dinnerware, utensils, napkins, pizza boxes, French fry cartons, doughnut boxes, and other containers and such used by restaurants or other non-retail foodservice establishments

Types of Packaging Used by the Food Industry

The packaging covered in this report is broadly divided into rigid and flexible categories.

Rigid packaging refers to packaging formats that maintain a fixed shape under normal conditions of use and handling. These structures do not significantly deform when filled, handled, or stored, providing strong protection for the product inside. Rigid packaging encompasses two main types:

• Fully rigid packaging products that hold their shape entirely and do not flex or compress under typical handling. Examples include glass jars, metal cans, and thick-walled plastic containers such as HDPE bottles or injection-molded tubs. These packages provide high structural integrity and are often used when strength and structural protection, stackability, or barrier performance is critical.
• Semi-rigid packaging is somewhat flexible but still retains a defined shape. This packaging may bend slightly under pressure but generally springs back to its original form. Examples include thermoformed plastic trays and clamshells, thin-walled blow-molded containers, and lightweight plastic tubs. Semi-rigid packaging offers a balance between structure and material efficiency, often used for items requiring moderate protection with reduced material use.

Rigid packaging serves to protect contents, support branding, and enables retail display, with choice depending on performance needs and cost considerations. Specific types of rigid packaging include:

• containers (including bottles, jars, jugs, cups, tubs, clamshells, two-piece containers, gable top cartons, composite aseptic cartons and other packaging that completely contains a food product)
• boxes and cartons (e.g., corrugated and paperboard boxes, folding cartons, and set-up boxes)
• other rigid packaging (including trays, bowls, foil pans, sleeves, and other rigid packaging that does not fully contain the food product)

Flexible packaging refers to packaging formats made from materials that readily yield to pressure or force and can conform to the shape of their contents or change shape during handling. These structures lack a fixed form and are typically made from films, foils, paper, or combinations thereof, often laminated or coated for strength and barrier properties. Types of flexible packaging include:

• bags (including shrink bags and corrugated box liners) and pouches (e.g., pillow, stand-up, and side seal)
• wrap (including overwrap, shrink wrap, stretch wrap, and foil wrap) and lidding
• other flexible packaging (e.g., chubs, interleaving, skin packaging)

In general, flexible packaging is valued for its light weight, efficiency in material use, and suitability for high-speed production, while offering a wide range of barrier and closure options.

Some packaging systems include both rigid and flexible components. Examples of these products include:

• bag-in-box (BIB)
• blister packaging
• carded skin packaging
• vacuum skin packaging

For purposes of this report, the value of these packages is divided into the respective rigid and flexible packaging categories. For example, for BIB packaging the box is included in rigid packaging and the inner bladder pouch is included in flexible packaging.

For products packaged in combination formats – such as a tray of cookies enclosed in a pillow pouch – the value of each type of packaging is counted separately and included within each respective product segment.