Global rigid plastic packaging demand is strongly influenced by economic, demographic and social trends, the rising penetration of modern retailing and the consumer trend favouring sustainable packaging.

We caught up with David Platt, author of The Future of Rigid Plastic Packaging to 2030, to discuss the key trends and opportunities in this sector.

How would rigid plastic packaging be defined in this report?
The report defines rigid plastic packaging as the manufacture, supply and conversion of plastics that are used separately or in combination for primary retail food packaging and non-food applications, such as beverages, pet food, medical items and pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and toiletries, household care and for industrial/other packaging.

The industry has benefited from the drive to replace traditional materials with lightweight, cost-effective and high-performance plastic materials, but there is increasing pressure to reduce the environmental impact of these.

How are these increasing environmental concerns driving the demand for more sustainable packaging solutions?
Many companies are under pressure to reduce their environmental impact, leading to the development of biodegradable and recyclable rigid plastic packaging options. The negative sentiment toward plastic waste and single-use packaging is also forcing companies to look for innovative ways to design more sustainable and eco-friendly product packaging, often at the expense of rigid plastics. 

Improving the sustainability credentials of plastic packaging can be achieved in many different ways; such as: redesign for recycling and waste reduction; making packaging lighter; adopting bioplastic materials; making all plastic packaging reusable, refillable, recyclable or compostable; and ensuring that packaging contains recycled material.

While blow moulding is the largest market share production process, where is the area of largest forecast growth in rigid plastic packaging?
Thermoforming is the process forecast to grow at the fastest rate. The growth of thermoforming is mainly due to growing demand for single-serve packs and the versatility and speed of machinery that enables rapid changeovers to ensure optimum productivity. 

What is the impact of the rise of modern retailing on the Rigid plastic packaging market? 
Modern retailing structures have become increasingly prominent across the world, especially in developed markets. A shift towards a more centralised structure of grocery retailing has inevitably led to higher levels of packaging with extended shelf life, particularly for fresh foods, chilled foods and ready meals. 

Modern retailing is also spreading in many of the major cities in developing countries and rigid plastic packaging is now taking a growing share of food and drink consumption. Rigid plastic packaging has benefited from this trend away from unpackaged items to packaged products that offer hygiene, convenience and longer shelf life.

Where are the areas being negatively impacted in the market? 
The cost of raw materials used in rigid plastic packaging, particularly petroleum-based feedstock, can be volatile. Managing these cost variations can be difficult in the face of global supply chain challenges.

Flexible packaging types such as stand-up pouches have been challenging rigid plastic packaging in a number of application areas, because of certain performance attributes. However, the future of stand-up pouches in multi-material laminates is being increasingly called into question (along with many other, longer established flexible plastic packaging technologies) because of their limited recyclability and growing concerns about the impact of packaging waste disposal on the environment.

Global introduction of regulations regarding plastic usage creates a challenge for the rigid plastic packaging industry as companies need to comply with these laws, invest in alternatives, and reevaluate their packaging portfolios.

The Future of Rigid Plastic Packaging to 2030 provides an analysis of rigid plastic packaging market trends and presents consumption forecasts for 2025–30 by material, end-use sector, packaging product and production process. It also presents consumption and market value forecasts for geographic markets, including a detailed analysis of fifteen major countries.