According to experts' predictions, the use of plastics in packaging will account for 50% of the total in 2008, and the annual growth rate of plastic packaging will remain around 3.1% by 2008. Plastic packaging will gradually invade the market of paper packaging materials and occupy a larger market share. This is because plastic packaging has clear advantages over paper packaging. In addition, the rise in people’s income and improvement in living standards provide opportunities for the diversified development of plastic packaging.
Food Paper Packaging: Main Alternative Areas for Plastic Packaging
It is predicted that the fastest growing markets are pet foods, fruit drinks, eggs, confectionery and baked goods. Compared with other beverages, plastic bottles are used for small-scale milk packaging, replacing the development of carton packaging is more robust and more competitive. In addition, the further development of packaging technology, such as the application of rapid packaging machines, not only reduces the cost of packaging, but also increases the variety of colors, which have accelerated the development of plastic packaging, especially the growth of pet food packaging.
From the health considerations, hard plastic packaging containers, such as plastic bottles, cups, plates, and tubes, have grown faster than soft plastic packaging. These types of packaging are mainly used for frozen foods, baked goods, and the like. Although paper packaging is currently strong, it will gradually be replaced by plastics.
In the next five years, the competitiveness and profitability of paper packaging will become smaller and smaller, and the usage and demand will also show a downward trend. Compared with plastic packaging, paper packaging only has a certain degree of competition in the food industry, because taking into account health factors, stimulated the use of paper packaging in a one-off field, such as cardboard boxes, drums, packaging paper and bags. As a result, paper packaging has been slower than other uses in terms of being replaced by plastics. Paper has a respiratory function and is conducive to environmental protection. It has an advantage in food packaging and will continue to occupy the packaging market. In particular, the use of corrugated boxes is very common.
Compared with transport and retail packaging, paper bags have been replaced by plastics at a slower pace. The market is currently saturated. The development of plastic packaging is expected to be the transport of large barrels and tons of bagging. In short, in the past 20 years, paper packaging is being replaced by plastic packaging, and small paper bags will continue to grow slightly due to the stability of the non-staple food market and the healthy development of the supermarket handbag market.
High barrier performance: Plastic packaging occupies the leading edge
As the market has matured, further growth will be limited. However, high barrier materials will help the rapid development of plastic packaging. High-pressure polyethylene film is the main plastic film used for packaging meat, poultry and seafood. Followed by polyvinyl chloride and nylon. The high barrier property, anti-puncture resistance, oxygen barrier and adhesion, and low cost of plastic packaging film determine the irreplaceability of packaged meat, poultry and seafood. Taking into account the health factors, the expansion of the consumer market for seafood products also provides sufficient room for plastic flexible packaging. The semi-finished meat market is the development direction of flexible packaging. You can choose to set up a packaging and processing center in one area and then transport it to supermarkets and other retail outlets in the country. This can save the supermarket cutting costs and handling costs, and maintain the freshness of meat in the long term. The packaging of meat is packed in plastic platters, bags and vacuum skins sealed with plastic film. Wal-Mart promoted this form of packaging to promote the development of this new type of packaging.
The development trend of semi-finished meat packaging will be "pumping" packaging. This package consists of two layers of plastic film. The outer layer is a high-barrier film. The purpose of the design is to isolate oxygen to prevent the contents from rot and degenerate. The inner layer is a breathable film that allows the food to continue to breathe and maintain its freshness.
