Functional Additives and Barrier Coatings for Plastic Packaging to be Worth $752 million in 2014

The global market for functional additives and barrier coatings for plastic packaging is to grow by 4.3% in the period 2009-2014 according to a new study by Pira International. In 2014 the sector will be worth $752 million compared to $609 million in 2009. The largest users of functional additives and barrier coatings for plastic packaging are electronics, electricals and the snack foods market.

Sustainable packaging on-line

The new handbook of the Food Packages Free Press collection, “Sustainable packaging”, is now available on-line in .pdf format. You can download it for free. It's a simple and practical guide that explains all the main ideas to “think green”, from systems and packaging design to the optimization measures, with also an analysis of each material and a special care to technological innovations offered by the latest researches. The handbook, available in Italian language, is published thanks to the support of Giflex (Italian association of flexible packaging producers) and some of its associates: Goglio spa, Sit Group, Henkel spa, Masterpack, Pack Co srl.

LDPE-Market Begins its Recovery

Low density polyethylene is one of the oldest plastics – and continues to be in demand. LDPE is primarily used for films, carrying bags, and sacks, but can also be used to reinforce levees, for example.

Screw caps and lids are also produced from this soft, ductile, and flexible material. LDPE can hold its ground against competition from newer plastics, as a result of its advantageous characteristics: low melting point, high clarity, and good process-ability.

World Food Containers

World demand for food containers is forecast to increase 3.9 percent per year to $124 billion in 2013.

Factors contributing to rising demand include growth in global food output and trends toward convenience-oriented food options as a result of fast-paced lifestyles.

Demographic trends will also influence food container demand, such as the growing percentage of urban population and women in the workforce, coupled with increases in the number of single-person households. This will fuel consumer spending on packaged and processed foods, due to more limited time for meal preparation and convenience benefits.

Environmentally Friendly Inks

The global market for environmentally friendly (EF) inks was valued at nearly €5.8 billion in 2009, according to a new study by Pira International. Experiencing good growth, the global EF inks market is projected to reach almost €7.2 billion by 2014, with a CAGR of 4.5% in the 2009-14 period.Based on primary research and expert analysis, The Future of Environmentally Friendly Inks - Market Forecasts to 2014 offers a detailed insight into the major trends affecting the environment friendly inks market, breaking it down by printing process, end-use application and geographical region, with quantitative forecasts till 2014 (volume and value). Significantly, the study also provides
in-depth coverage of the key technology developments impacting the EF inks market, and seeks to identify the emerging, niche opportunities for EF ink and equipment suppliers.

LLDPE Market on the Rebound

LLDPE is one of the most important plastics. This market is recovering well from the economic crisis: “We expect to see significant growth in sales and distribution starting in 2010“, says Oliver Kutsch, president of Ceresana Research.

The market research institution has just released a new study covering this major polymer. Linear low density polyethylene was offered in North America for the first time during the 1970s; the rest of the world was more hesitant to accept it. However, following its start-up difficulties, LLDPE became the fastest growing grade of polyethylene. The transparent, exceedingly ductile and dimensionally stable material is now processed primarily into films and other types of packaging. Manufacturers around the world are working on new grades of LLDPE for a variety of additional applications.

Packaging Inks, Coatings & Additives

US demand for packaging inks, coatings and additives is forecast to expand 2.5 percent annually to $3.0 billion in 2013, with volume rising to 1.4 billion pounds. Value gains are expected to decelerate from the pace of the 2003-2008 period due to an expected moderation in pricing.

However, market volume is projected to grow somewhat faster due to improving real growth in packaging production. Overall demand will benefit from efforts to make packaging more environmentally friendly, which will promote the use of bioplastics and flexible packaging.