Sustainable packaging market to reach $107.7bn in 2011

A new report from Visiongain finds that rising concerns over environmental hazards, eco-friendly packaging, carbon emissions, waste reduction targets specified by different countries and the trend towards green packaging, are the factors likely to boost the market for sustainable and green packaging solutions. These factors, in addition to new solutions available due to advanced packaging technologies, will help drive sustainable and green packaging market's worth to $107.7 billion in 2011. Visiongain says this growth will happen despite negative impacts by reduced margins due to pressure from higher production costs involved. 

The report says that the sustainable and green packaging market is likely to register consistent growth during 2011-2021, mainly influenced by rising environmental concerns, increasing health awareness, high disposable incomes, rapidly growing economies, dearth of natural resources and high-energy consumption. This growth, Visiongain says, should be above average growth in developing nations and steady growth in mature markets. . The North American and Western European economies are successfully established markets. However, the report cites the growing economies of Asia-Pacific (India and China), Eastern Europe (Germany and Russia) and Latin America (Brazil) as markets with tremendous potential.

The report found that the sustainable and green packaging market was relatively immune to the recent economic downturn. Visiongain found that demand held up as consumers' increasing concerns about personal, as well as environmental, health and wellness drove the need for sustainable packaging innovations. Moreover, the report notes that technological advancements related to lightweight packaging will further boost the demand in the industry and key industry players and manufacturers are opting for better materials made from renewable sources for packaging purposes thus keeping them out of the landfills.

The report noted a correlation between the the packaging trends of 2009 and into 2010 are considerations of value and health and the market for sustainable and green packaging. In the realm of health, consumers are looking not only for fresh, safe, and nutritious products, but also at items having "healthy," sustainable packaging. 

Visiongain also reports that manufacturers are under pressure to use environmentally friendly materials, adopt methods that require low-energy consumption and reduce the adverse environmental impact of packaging such as the amount of spent packaging entering landfills. The report does note that not all news about the sustainable and green packaging market is good news: Specifically, the report says that regulatory concerns, poor recycling infrastructure and limited consumer demand continue to limit the switch to sustainable and green packaging. 

More information about the report--The Sustainable & Green Packaging Market 2011-2021-can be found at the group's website-www.visiongain.com.