Marketing, sales and consumer behaviour – October 2025
EU market for plastics and plastic recycling
New figures (1.06 MB) published by Plastics Europe confirm the rapid and continuing decline in the competitiveness of EU plastics manufacturing. Europe’s global market share has continued to erode — collapsing from 22% in 2006 to just 12% in 2024. Industry turnover has also fallen sharply, from €457 billion in 2022 to €398 billion in 2024 (-13%). Europe’s decline contrasts starkly with the industrial boom taking place in other regions. Global plastics production increased by 4.1% last year and by 16.3% since 2018. Asia now produces 57.2% of the world’s plastics, with China alone accounting for 34.5% (nearly three times more than the entire EU).
The EU plastic recycling industry is also facing a decrease in production and recycling capacity, according to Plastics recyclers Europe. The decrease in the demand for EU-made recyclates, mounting economic pressures and excessive red tape are driving an increasing number of EU recyclers out of business. By the end of 2025, the territory is expected to have lost almost one million tonnes of recycling capacity compared in two years time.
Global market for vacuum packaging
According to a recent report by Fortune Business Insights, the global market value for vacuum packaging is expected to rise from $32.91 billion in 2025 to $50.04 billion in 2032. Amcor, Sealed Air, Coveris, Stora Enso, Mondi and Südpack are among the top ten players. You can find more information in the report summary.
Packaging machinery
The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) reports that in 2024 there were 542,000 million robots operating in factories around the world - more than double the number ten years ago. You can find more information in an executive summary (6.3 MB) of the World Robotics Industrial Robots 2025 report.
While the US packaging machinery market reached $11.3 billion in sales in 2024, the growth rate forecast for 2025 is a modest 2.2%, according to an infographic (1.79 MB) released by PMMI. The Canadian market reached $1.2 billion in sales in 2024 and is predicted to experience a nearly flat growth rate of 0.8% in 2025.
How ‘sustainable’ packaging shapes consumers’ food perceptions
MSU researchers studied the impact of packaging on the acceptance of ready-to-eat dry beans in metal cans, glass jars and plastic pouches. Glass jars were rated as the most sustainable with the highest quality beans. The study (1.18 MB) is published in Food Science.
University of Bonn researchers investigated how a label on a PET bottle indicating the recyclate percentage affects consumers' expectations of the quality, safety, taste, and sustainability of orange juice. The results show a halo effect: the label improves expectations of the orange juice. The study (2.54 MB) is published in Food Quality and Preference.
A KU Leuven study (2.39 MB) published in the Journal of Foodservice Business Research investigated how sustainable packaging shapes consumers’ food perceptions. They found little evidence for an effect of the packaging material and sustainability claims.
US consumers and food labels
Research (1.29 MB) by IFIC shows that 90% of Americans use food labels to guide eating decisions. Six in ten Americans say the amount of nutrition information on packaging is “just right” and 55% say they use the information to decide what to eat more of and what to avoid.
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