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As London Packaging Week marks its 15th anniversary, new Smithers research reveals how e-commerce, sustainability, and innovation are reshaping the $1.4 trillion global packaging industry.
As London Packaging Week celebrates its 15th anniversary, the event has unveiled exclusive new insight from Smithers, its official research partner, highlighting the powerful forces reshaping the global packaging industry.
The report shows that packaging remains a highly resilient trillion-dollar market with growth opportunities across all major substrates. Paper and board continue to hold the largest share, while advances in moulded fibre and mono-material plastics are driving new applications and efficiencies. In 2010, the first year of London Packaging Week, packaging sales in Western Europe were valued at $193.4 billion, according to historical data from Smithers. By 2024, the regional market had grown to $238.6 billion, despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis shows that, just as it was in 2010, innovation remains essential for packaging converters to adapt to new realities and capture commercial opportunities.
Back in 2010, e-commerce was a relatively immature segment, and sustainability was still a fringe concern, confined largely to niche brands. Now, e-commerce is one of the strongest drivers of demand, with global sales valued at $6.4 trillion in 2025 and accounting for just over 20% of total retail sales. The sector is forecast to grow faster than traditional retail over the next five years, fuelling demand for corrugated, flexible, and speciality food packaging to support meal delivery and rapid fulfilment logistics.
Demographic change, rising incomes, and urbanisation are reshaping consumer expectations. Research shows that 83% of consumers place more importance on convenience than they did five years ago, and many are willing to pay more for it. More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and the rise of single-person households is creating growing demand for smaller pack sizes, ready meals, and packaging with convenience features such as resealability and microwaveability.
Smithers’ research confirms that sustainable packaging has shifted from a niche to a mainstream market. Brands are under pressure to deliver solutions that are both environmentally responsible and cost-efficient, with fibre-based materials already accounting for almost 40% of global packaging consumption and moulded pulp expected to post the highest growth through 2034. At the same time, legislation is driving seismic change. The EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which came into effect in February 2025, mandates that all packaging must be recyclable by 2030, while Extended Producer Responsibility policies are reshaping material choices and incentivising design for recyclability.
Looking ahead, the global packaging market is expected to reach $1.43 trillion by 2028, growing at an average compound annual growth rate of 3.8%. Beyond 2028, growth is expected to moderate to 2.1% annually as mature markets reach saturation and new demand shifts to emerging regions. High-income countries will continue to lead in innovation, sustainability, and premiumisation, while developing markets will focus on affordability and functionality.
London Packaging Week will highlight these opportunities with hundreds of suppliers, thousands of packaging innovations, a two-day conference programme, and the London Packaging Week Innovation Awards. Smithers will also be in attendance, with printed copies of the exclusive report available for visitors at the show. Complimentary visitor passes remain available for London Packaging Week, taking place on 15 & 16 October 2025 at Excel London. Join us in celebrating 15 years of innovation and shaping the future of packaging.
Photo/Smithers |
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