Stability Returns To Packaging, Label Markets BY GREG KISHBAUGH The printed the packaging and labels markets in 2024 was valued at $517.9 billion, with a total production volume equivalent to 14.3 trillion A4 sheets, according to a new market report from Smithers, a market research firm focuses on the print industry. The new research shows that stability is returning to the market. Growth resumed in 2024 and will continue at a Compound Annual
FPA Heralds U.S. Senate Recycling Legislation The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA), has applauded the introduction and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee advancement of the Strat- egies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Re- cycling Development (STEWARD) Act (S.351). FPA members employ approximately 83,000 workers in the United States. Flexi- ble packaging is produced from paper, plas- tic, film, aluminum foil, or any combination of these materials, and includes bags, pouches, labels, liners, wraps, rollstock, and other flex- ible products.
Growth Rate of +3.6 percent for both volume and value in the five years to 2029. This will push value to $618.2 billion in 2029 (at 2023 con- stant pricing), with output rising to 17.1 trillion A4 prints. Print processes for packaging and labels are seeing higher levels of automation, with prepress, printing and finishing operations increas- ingly connected and controlled by advanced software. Flexo Leads The Way Flexo printing is by far the largest segment by both volume and value. In value terms, the next largest are offset litho and other analog printing, with the former widely used for carton printing, corrugated preprint and wet glue labels, while the latter reflects the high use of dry offset for printing metal packaging and some rigid plastics. Three regions – Asia, Western Europe, and North America – con- tribute 81.5 percent of global package printing output value and 82 percent of the volume in 2024; these shares will remain broadly un- changed in 2029. Asia is the largest, led by China with its strong manu- facturing base and export market as well as growing domestic consum- er demand for packaged goods.
The STEWARD Act is a combination of the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act (RIAA) and the Recycling and Composting Ac- countability Act (RCAA) that the FPA actively supported in the last Congress. The STEWARD Act would: • Establish the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand recycling access in underserved communities through a pilot grant program. • Authorizes the EPA to collect and analyze data on market trends, material processing rates, and the effectiveness of curbside recy- cling programs, along with associated acces- sibility challenges.
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February 17, 2025
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