European Flexible Packaging Market Trends Analysis: Regulations and Innovation Drive Sustainable Development

Policies and regulations reshape the industry landscape.

The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will come into effect in February 2025, requiring a 5% reduction in per capita packaging waste by 2030 and 10% by 2035, as well as mandating that the recyclability rate of packaging materials be increased to 55%. It promotes MDOPE/GRSPE (containing recycled materials) to become mainstream, whose barrier performance is close to traditional composite materials and is compatible with various formats such as stand-up pouches and flat pouches.

In addition, starting from 2030, the use of single-use plastic packaging for fruits and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kilograms will be prohibited, forcing companies to switch to compostable materials such as wood pulp-based cellulose film and PLA metallized film. These materials can fully degrade within 12 months under industrial composting conditions.

The Circular Economy for Flexible Packaging (CEFLEX) in Europe strongly recommends that flexible packaging use single polyethylene (PE) material (with a weight proportion exceeding 90%), with other barrier components allowed to contain a maximum of 5% by weight.

PART.02

Consumer Perception and Behavioral Differentiation

According to surveys, 44% of European consumers believe that reducing food waste is key to lowering environmental impact, but only 50% of consumers recognize that soft packaging is easy to recycle (65% in Spain, 40% in Germany).

This cognitive difference leads to divergence in regional market strategies: Southern European countries focus on promoting recyclable packaging, while Northern Europe places greater emphasis on the application of bio-based materials.

For example, a Spanish dairy company adopted a 23μm cellulose metallized film customized by Kaifeng, reducing the carbon footprint by 32%; a German pet food packaging switched to microwaveable PLA film, increasing the repurchase rate by 18%.

Regional Market Dynamics and Competitive Landscape

As the largest consumer in Europe (accounting for 19%), leading companies such as Amcor and Mondi have strengthened their advantages in aluminum-plastic composite technology through acquisitions, such as Constantia's acquisition of Aluflexpack.

Exports account for 33%, attracting companies like Sudpack to set up factories. In 2024, flexible packaging production is expected to grow by 12%, with a focus on developing PE/PP single-material production lines.

Due to the impact of the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT), the usage rate of recycled plastics increased to 35% in 2024. 3D Neopac launched tubes with a 23% reduction in thickness, resulting in an 18% decrease in costs.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Despite some progress, the current European flexible packaging sector faces bottlenecks such as insufficient recycling infrastructure (only 50% is recyclable) and high costs for bio-based materials (20-30% more expensive than petroleum-based ones). Achieving a true circular economy remains a long-term goal, as continuous recycling and reuse of materials are still needed, but market trends are clear:

The European flexible packaging market is accelerating its transformation towards high recyclability, low environmental impact, and high added value, driven by policy enforcement, technological breakthroughs, and consumption upgrades. It is expected to become the "core testing ground" for global green packaging innovation over the next five years.