Page 14 - Packaging News Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT www.packagingnews.com.au November-December 2018
Printed packaging on the up
PKN takes a closer look at newly published research by Smithers Pira outlining four key trends driving the market for printed primary food packaging.
RINTED food packaging is used for the primary packs of foods and beverages that are supplied direct to consumers. According to a new report from Smithers Pira – The Future of Printing
for Food Packaging to 2023 – in 2018 the global market for printed primary food packaging is US$227.2bn and 79.4 million tonnes, with a printed area of 394.6 billion
square metres.
The market is forecast to grow at a com-
pound annual growth rate of around 3.6 per cent over the next five years, with the global market reaching a value of US$271.3bn, equating to 95 million tonnes and a printed area of 472.4 billion square metres by 2023.
A range of both technology- and con- sumer-related trends will drive this fore- cast market growth. Four of the key trends identified by the Smithers Pira research are outlined below.
LIGHTWEIGHTING
The food and packaging industries are, where possible, reducing the weight of packaging to make cost savings from re- ductions in material requirements and lower transportation costs. All packaging materials are affected, particularly the in- herently heavier glass and metal packaging formats. Continuing developments in the designs of flexible packaging pouches are extending their use for a wider range of foods and drinks to replace heavier glass, rigid plastic or metal packaging.
Lighter weight PET bottles are increas- ingly being used for beers and non-alcohol- ic drinks in place of metal cans and glass bottles. The shift to flexible and rigid plas- tic packaging for an increased number of food and drink products has gradually eroded metal packaging demand over the last five years, with this trend expected to
The limitations on speed of drying on non-porous substrates such as flexible packaging are less of a barrier when used for the shorter production run.”