3 Reasons Why Flexible Packaging Is Increasing Its Share of the Global Protective Packaging Market

According to The Freedonia Group’s new Global Protective Packaging study, flexible protective packaging is expected to grow rapidly to $16.5 billion in 2023, increasing its share of the protective packaging market along the way.

There are three primary factors that have made flexible products the preferred protective packaging type:

1.  Sustainability: Flexible products are frequently made from recycled materials and are often recyclable themselves. For instance, paper fill is accepted by most municipal recycling programs. While air pillows may not be recyclable in traditional curbside pickup programs, they can be taken to stores that offer plastic drop-off bins.

2.  Light Weight: Flexible products are generally lighter than either foam or rigid packaging, making them relatively inexpensive to ship. This makes flexible packaging more desirable for end users who wish to reduce their shipping costs.

3.  Onsite Inflation: Both bubble packaging and air pillows can be inflated onsite by end users with a machine that is leaded from a packaging supplier. Transportation costs are therefore reduced, as the uninflated packaging takes up far less dimensional space.

Interested in More Protective Packaging Analysis?

The Freedonia Group study Global Protective Packaging offers a comprehensive view of the global protective packaging industry, providing data analysis of historical demand trends and forecasts through 2023, broken out by product, market, and global region, as well as major national market. The study also includes in-depth profiles of industry leaders, featuring market share by company and major corporate developments.