Market Trends of Cling Films Industry
Food Segment to Dominate the Market
- Cling films are primarily used in the packaging of food products to prevent contamination by insects or other microbial contamination. Additionally, using cling films helps improve the shelf life of the food and keeps it fresh for longer durations, thus effectively reducing food waste.
- Natural polymer-based cling films for food packaging can replace non-biodegradable petroleum-based synthetic polymers at a low cost, producing a positive, environmental, and economic effect.
- China is one of the largest consumers of food and beverages, with the food processing industry continuing to expand, given the growing population and rising demand for healthy and tasty packaged foods. Some of the popular food products in the country include bakery products, beverages, and other nutritious food items, among others.
- The food industry in the United States is one of the largest in the world. The demand for the studied market in North America mainly comes from the United States. Furthermore, in the United States, the growing food market is boosting the market in the country.
- With its growing popularity, India is set to dominate the global packaged food market by 2025 due to the expansion of the country’s economy and changes in people’s lifestyles. India currently operates as the world’s second-largest food producer, thus reflecting significant growth opportunities for the market studied.
- In recent years, packaged and ready-to-eat foods have become increasingly popular, especially among urban consumers. Due to the fast pace of life in big cities, consumers prefer cooked meals in their regular diet. Rapidly rising incomes, living standards, and convenience are the reasons for the increased use of packaged foods in urban areas.
- One of the largest global industries, the food processing sector, produces approximately USD 7 trillion annually. Due to globalization, foods previously available locally are now accessible worldwide. People are also becoming more aware of the wide range of foods that are available on a worldwide scale. By 2030, a 7.6% annual growth rate in the global food processing market is expected.
- The food and beverage industry is the EU's largest manufacturing sector in terms of employment and value-added. The EU boasts a sizeable trade surplus in the food trade, and EU specialties are highly valued abroad. Over the past decade, EU food and beverage exports have doubled to reach more than EUR 90 billion (~USD 95 billion), contributing to a surplus of around EUR 30 billion (~USD 32 billion).
- According to the FoodDrink Europe report published in December 2022, the EU food and beverage industry employs 4.6 million people, has a turnover of EUR 1.1 trillion (~USD 1.2 trillion), and a value-added of EUR 230 billion (~USD 244 billion), making it one of the largest processing industries in the EU. At the same time, the European Union is the world's largest exporter of food and beverage, with exports outside the European Union of EUR 156 billion (~USD 165 billion) and a trade surplus of EUR 73 billion (~USD 77 billion).
- Thus, the abovementioned factors are likely to influence the demand for fumed silica in food and beverage applications during the forecast period.
Asia-Pacific Region to Witness High Market Growth
Asia-Pacific is likely to witness the high growth demand for cling films, owing to their increasing usage in the food packaging, healthcare, and consumer goods sector of emerging economies, including China, India, and Japan.
One of the world's largest food industries is found in China. The country's food market is expanding mostly due to the expanding population and average per capita consumption. The total profit of the Chinese food business was approximately CNY 618.7 billion (~USD 95.9 billion) in 2021, down from CNY 621 billion (~USD 90 billion) the year before, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China. Also, food manufacturing contributed almost CNY 165.4 billion (~USD 25.6 billion) to the overall profits.
The India Brand Equity Foundation further stated that by 2025, India's processed food sector is anticipated to reach USD 470 billion. According to the Union Budget for FY 2022-23, the Department of Food and Public Distribution has received a budget of INR 215,960 crore (USD 27.82 billion) considering the expanding food and beverage sector.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the total retail sales of China's consumer goods industry in 2022 amounted to around CNY 44 trillion (~USD 6.5 trillion) from CNY 44.1 trillion (~USD 6.8 trillion) in 2021. Furthermore, Retail sales in China's cities totaled CNY 38 trillion (~USD 5.6 trillion), while sales in rural China totaled CNY 5.9 trillion (~USD 877 billion) in 2022.
In the global pharmaceuticals sector, India is a prominent and expanding player. India is one of the world's major suppliers of generic medicines, accounting for 20% of the global supply by volume. Indian drugs are exported to more than 200 countries, with the United States being the key market. Furthermore, India's generic drugs satisfy 40% of the generic drug demand of the United States and 30% of the United Kingdom. The domestic drug manufacturers consist of a chain of around 10,500 companies.
Furthermore, according to the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China, total public expenditure on health care and hygiene increased by about 17% in 2022 compared to 2021, amounting to about CNY 2.25 trillion (~USD 0.33 trillion).
Hence, for the above reasons, the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to dominate the market studied during the forecast period.
