US Insulated Shipping Container Demand to Rise 3.5% Annually Through 2024, Driven by Pharmaceutical Shipments

Sales gains for insulated shipping containers will be fueled by increasingly exacting expectations for the handling of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. A growing regulatory focus on compliance with storage temperature requirements will support demand in pharmaceutical and medical applications, which will remain by far the largest outlet for insulated shipping containers:

• A wide range of pharmaceuticals – such as high-value specialty drugs for cancers and vaccines for infectious diseases, which are widely produced and distributed in the US – are temperature-sensitive, necessitating temperature control through the supply chain to ensure their safety and efficacy.
• As a result, insulated shipping containers will continue to have a major role in reducing losses of high-value drugs damaged by temperature fluctuations.

Demand will be further supported by online sales of meal kits and other perishable food and beverage items. Insulated shipping containers are widely used in these applications, as many packages contain fresh and frozen goods.

Insulated Packaging Containers & Shippers is now available from the Freedonia Group. Demand data are presented for the following applications:

• pharmaceuticals and medical
• food and beverage
• other applications (e.g., transport of fresh flowers and temperature-sensitive items used in the semiconductor industry, such as adhesives)

Historical data (2009, 2014, and 2019) and forecasts for 2024 are presented for insulated shipping container demand in current US dollars (including inflation) and in pounds. A number of related packaging studies are also available, including US Protective Packaging, Bubble Packaging and Global E-Commerce Packaging.