Middle East and Africa Plastic Packaging Market Size (2024 - 2029)

MEA Plastic Packaging Market Analysis

The Middle East and Africa plastic packaging market is expected to register a CAGR of 6.54% during the forecast period. With changing consumer trends toward healthier products, regulations, and drive toward sustainability in the MEA region, there is a significant impact on plastic packaging professionals to innovate and evolve materials, designs, and technologies for their customers.

• The beverage industry is the fastest-growing end-user of plastic packaging due to the rising consumption of bottled water and soft drinks. In the latest study published by academics from the UAE and Egypt, although the UAE has stringent municipal water quality standards, bottled water was the source of over 80% of the plain drinking water among participants.
• There is a rising trend of oxo-degradable plastics. Several countries in the Middle East and Africa, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Ghana, and Togo, are promoting the use of oxo-degradable plastics or have even made their use mandatory.
• The African continent is also expected to become a high-growth region for the plastic packaging industry, with demand being driven by increased markets for consumer products, growing individual incomes, an expanding population of youthful consumers, and booming domestic economies, particularly those in East and West Africa.
• New materials are being developed that are expected to gradually substitute plastic, which might present a challenge for the vendors in the market. Moreover, the growing concern of the user toward the environment and the increase in demand for sustainable packaging solutions, which are made from materials such as paper and other types, can hamper the market's growth.
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers in the Middle East drastically ramped up their online purchases of food products. According to Dubai-based Choueiri Group, the main grocery items purchased were products with short shelf life. This was mainly driven by freshness and high nutritional benefits to help boost immunity. The top grocery products for online purchases were dairy products, fruits and vegetables, and bread. The online survey was conducted between mid-March to April, involving 2800 participants.

MEA Plastic Packaging Industry Segmentation

Plastic packaging allows us to protect, preserve, store, and transport products in a variety of ways. The study tracks the demand for plastic packaging in the Middle East and Africa through volume (in million tons) accrued from sales of these plastic packaging products offered by various vendors operating in the region. The market is segmented by packaging type (rigid (by material, by end-user industry) and flexible (by material, by end-user industry)), by products (bottles and jars, tubs, cups, bowls, and trays, intermediate bulk containers, pouches), and by geography (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of Middle East and Africa). The market sizes and forecasts are provided in terms of volume (in million tons) for all the above segments.