Prospects for Degradable Packaging in the Next Decade

[ppzhan Abstract] The enhancement of public environmental awareness has led to a substantial rise in the acceptance and growth rate of bioplastics in the packaging field. According to a new survey report by Pira International, driven by renewable and degradable trends, the packaging market's demand for degradable plastics will reach 9.45 million tonnes in 2023. The report "Degradable Packaging Market Forecast to 2023" analyzes the changes in demand in the degradable packaging market over the next ten years.

In the report, Smithers Pira pointed out that in 2013 the consumption value of polymer materials had already exceeded USD 650 billion, of which North America and Europe each accounted for less than 25% of the market share, while Asia (including Japan) reached about 40% of the market share; other regions accounted for 13% of the market share. By 2023, Asia's demand for biopolymer materials will reach 34% of total demand, while the market shares of Europe and North America in biopolymer materials will decline.

The enhancement of public environmental awareness and the rising prices of fossil fuels and their derivatives are the two main factors driving the continued warming of bioplastics. As the prices of traditional polymer materials refined from petrochemical products (petroleum polymer materials) continue to rise, the acceptance and growth rate of bioplastics in the packaging field have also risen.

As renewable materials gradually become important raw materials and energy sources, bio-conversion plants will increase investment in technology and in the production of chemical raw materials, some of which will be processed into degradable polymer materials. It is understood that bioplastics are gaining favor with more and more packaging professionals. As mentioned above, rising energy costs and a renewed understanding of the concept of environmental sustainable development will lay the foundation for the success of bioplastics in the market.

Biopolymer materials are mostly used in fields such as packaging and food service, mainly for packaging products intended for single use or to be sent to landfills or washed into the sea. As a result, biodegradability has become a primary factor for people when choosing packaging materials.

For so many years, the price of ordinary packaging has had an advantage compared with the price of biopolymer material packaging. But we cannot save costs at the expense of the environment. From the report, bioproducts, as a sustainable and renewable raw material, have already gained a firm foothold in the market, and the room for expansion of degradable plastics will inevitably be limitless; this is also an inevitable trend of future development.

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-361811.html