Protective Packaging

Growth in the US protective packaging market will total 4.9% annually through 2019 in value terms.  Gains will be driven by a healthy outlook for e-commerce shipments.  However, advances will be mitigated by efforts to lower costs by shipping in smaller boxes or flexible mailers, which lower the demand for protective material.

This report segments the protective packaging industry by Type, Function, and Market.  Data is provided in million US dollars.

Protective packaging products include:

• Protective Mailers

• Bubble Packaging

• Air Pillows

• Paper Fill

• Dunnage Bags 

• Paperboard Protectors

• Molded Pulp

• Molded Foam

• Foamed-in-Place Polyurethane

• Polyolefin Rolls

• Loose-Fill

• Insulated Shipping Containers

Protective mailers will remain the largest of these through 2019.  Fastest growth among the major product types will be for air pillows, driven by their popularity in e-commerce applications and low cost

Key protective packaging functions include:

• Cushioning

• Blocking & Bracing

• Insulation

• Void-Fill

• Wrapping

Cushioning was the largest of these in 2014.  Going forward, insulation will see the strongest advances, benefiting from the growing meal-kit delivery market as well as a favorable outlook for pharmaceuticals that require temperature control during shipping.

Major markets for protective packaging are discussed within the following categories:

• Durable Goods

• Nondurable Goods

• E-commerce

• Retail

Durable goods were the leading outlet in 2014.  The most rapid gains through 2019 are forecast for the e-commerce market, fueled by the healthy outlook for products shipped directly to the consumer through digital shopping channels.

The US protective packaging industry is comprised of over 200 participants, ranging from major packaging concerns to material fabricators (e.g., foam suppliers) that serve many markets.  Small firms that concentrate on a few products or markets are prevalent.  Participants in this industry include 3M, ACH Foam Technologies, Great Northern, Packaging Corporation of America, Polyair Inter Pack, Pregis, Ranpak, Sealed Air, Signode Industrial Group, Sonoco Products, Storopack, and West Rock.