Analysis of the paper packaging industry in 2023: the industry develops toward the high end

Paper packaging materials fall mainly into three categories: corrugated cartons, folding cartons and cigarette labels.

Analysis of the main product characteristics of the paper products packaging and printing industry

Source: compiled by Rui Guan Consulting

Paper packaging is the packaging material with the largest usage volume in the world. In recent years, the output of China's packaging paper industry has risen steadily. From 2015 to 2021, China's packaging paper output increased from 6.65 million tonnes to 7.15 million tonnes, with a compound annual growth rate of 1.22% over the period. China's packaging paper output and growth rate, 2015-2021.

Source: China Paper Association, compiled by Rui Guan Consulting

According to data from the China Packaging Federation, in 2021 the scale of China's packaging industry reached 1,204.181 billion yuan, of which the paper packaging sector reached 319.203 billion yuan, up 10.65% year on year, accounting for 26.51% of the total scale of the packaging industry, with an industry CAGR of -0.9% from 2016 to 2021; in H1 2022, the paper packaging scale reached 155.862 billion yuan, up 1.48% year on year, and total industry profit was 4.985 billion yuan, down 14.06% year on year. The profit decline was mainly due to rising raw material prices in the first half of 2022. China's paper packaging industry scale and total profit, 2017-H1 2022

Source: China Packaging Federation, compiled by Rui Guan Consulting

In terms of exports, in H1 2022 the cumulative export value of China's paper and paperboard container industry was 4.606 billion USD, up 25.44% year on year. Since 2019, the year-on-year growth rate of export value has been higher than the growth rate of the domestic paper packaging industry scale, and domestic paper packaging enterprises have continued to benefit from the growing demand of overseas paper packaging markets. China's paper packaging export value and growth rate, 2019-H1 2022

Source: China Packaging Federation, compiled by Rui Guan Consulting

At the level of export distribution, the top five countries and regions by export value in H1 2022 were the United States (23.80%), Australia (5.10%), the United Kingdom (4.20%), Hong Kong, China (4.09%) and Vietnam (4.03%). In H1 2022, the export growth rates to Singapore (157.1%), Malaysia (62.1%), the United States (31.0%) and Germany (28.3%) were higher than the overall export growth rate (25.44%). Share of China's paper packaging export value in H1 2022

Source: China Packaging Federation, compiled by Rui Guan Consulting

In 2020, only 20 enterprises in China's paper packaging sector had annual operating revenue at the 1 billion yuan level, of which the top 3 enterprises reached 10 billion yuan. In 2021, the number of enterprises with annual operating revenue from paper packaging of more than 20 million yuan was 2,517. The distribution of the paper packaging industry shows a long-tail phenomenon, mainly because entry barriers in the paper packaging industry are low and packaging quality is difficult to evaluate; small workshops in various regions still hold a large market share thanks to low-cost, low-quality pulp and lower labor costs in tier-three and tier-four cities. In recent years, under environmental packaging policy supervision, the operating costs of some small workshops have increased, accelerating the exit of small and medium-sized enterprises from the industry. Number of enterprises in China's paper packaging industry with revenue above 20 million yuan, 2019-2021

Source: compiled by Rui Guan Consulting

High-end enterprises in the folding carton packaging industry are mainly concentrated in the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta and the Bohai Rim region, and are mainly foreign-funded or joint-venture enterprises. In recent years, more and more multinational companies have taken a fancy to the Chinese market, and quite a few have already built or are planning to build their own factories in China. In this industry, a number of high-end representative enterprises have emerged for each market segment.

Leading high-end enterprises and their competitive advantages in folding carton packaging market segments

Source: compiled by Rui Guan Consulting

Analysis of development trends in China's paper products packaging industry

Development trends of market segments in China's folding carton packaging industry

Source: compiled by Rui Guan Consulting

——This article is reprinted from China Packaging Network (pack.cn). Original link: http://news.pack.cn/show-379446.html