Pet Product Packaging Market

Market Overview

The global pet product packaging market share is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period (2023–2031). In recent years, there has been a surge in the adoption of pets across the globe owing to surging urbanization, a soaring millennial population, and changing lifestyles. Moreover, people are interested in adopting and treating pets as their family members, leading to the "pet humanization" trend. This is expected to boost the demand for pet products and, subsequently, the global pet product packaging market.

Packaging is the science, art, and technology of protecting and enclosing products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging is a coordinated system utilized to prepare products for transport, storage, distribution, and final use. Packaging contains, safeguards, preserves, transports, educates, and sells its contents. In many nations, it is fully integrated into government, business, institutional, and industrial applications.

Pet product packaging refers to the materials used to protect, store, and transport pet products. Metal cans, folding cartons, pouches, and bags made of metal, plastic, and paperboard are a few of the most common packaging options. It is commonly used to wrap or enclose pet products, particularly food items, to preserve their freshness, longevity, cleanliness, and lack of contamination. The packaging of pet products helps prevent tampering and spillage. It is also highly resilient, economical, and insulating.

Market Dynamics

Global Pet Product Packaging Market Drivers

Growing Pet Ownership

Pet ownership is rising, especially in the United States, China, Latin America, and Russia. According to the National Pet Owners Survey 2019-2020 done by the American Pet Products Association, it was determined that a total of 85 million households in the United States possess pets. Moreover, it is anticipated that there will be a notable rise in pet ownership in the forthcoming years, mostly propelled by the younger demographic inside the nation. Similarly, rapid urbanization, changing lifestyles, and a growing millennial demographic drive pet adoption, which subsequently boosts the demand for pet products. This demand for pet products is anticipated to boost the global pet product packaging market.

Rising Trend of Humanization of Pets

The "pet humanization" trend has taken off in several parts of the world, and consumers are treating pets as members of their families. A wider range of people in the United States, China, Europe, and other regions now consider pets family members. Moreover, they are also spending heavily on their pets. Similarly, humanizing pets has led to a parallel trend of humanizing pet food. It has evolved to the point that several consumers are spending extra money or effort to obtain natural, high-quality pet foods.

Pet owners are demanding that the products they purchase for their pets meet the same expectations they have for the products they purchase for themselves. Similarly, the demand for high-end pet supplies is projected to rise sharply in the coming years as the proportion of families worldwide that own a pet rises. With the increasing number of businesses introducing high-end items, excellent packaging to safeguard and maintain the integrity of pet products has become imperative. This, in turn, boosts the global market growth.

Global Pet Product Packaging Market Condition

Complications Associated with Disposable Contact Lenses

Governments worldwide have become more aware of the dangers posed by packaging materials and have enacted several regulations in response. According to the UNEP, 127 countries have passed legislation restricting the manufacture, distribution, use, and import of plastic bags, primarily in the form of restrictions on manufacture, distribution, and import. In 61 of these nations, restrictions on the manufacture or import of plastic bags have been enacted, and several of them have also taken steps to eliminate other single-use plastics. Upon successfully passing the quality assessment, the packaging can be employed for its intended purpose. Therefore, these circumstances restrain the pet product packaging market growth.

Global Pet Product Packaging Market Opportunities

Demand for Sustainable Packaging

The paradigm shift towards sustainability has compelled the key players in the market to introduce eco-friendly packaging. For instance, in May 2023, ExxonMobil, Berry Global Group, Inc., and Peel Plastic Products Ltd. collaborated to incorporate certified-circular polymers with the International Sustainability and Carbon Certificate (ISCC) PLUS into pet food packaging for well-known household brands. The partnership uses ExxonMobil's ExxtendTM technology for advanced recycling, which uses a mass balance method to process plastic trash and credit it to new plastic for food-grade packaging.

Similarly, in April 2023, as part of its patent-pending PRO-EVO Recyclable platforms, ProAmpac introduced a multi-wall, paper-based, self-opening sack bag approved for curbside recycling and designed for dry pet food applications. Therefore, the demand for sustainable packaging generates growth opportunities for market vendors.

Regional Analysis

Based on region, the global pet product packaging market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

North America Dominates the Global Market

North America is the most significant global market shareholder and is expected to expand substantially during the forecast period. The prominence of the North American region may be ascribed to the growing prevalence of pet adoption and the augmented expenditure on pets and pet-related merchandise. For instance, the American Pet Products Association found in a 2022 survey that over 66% of US households have at least one pet. According to the same source, around 8% of American households foster animals. Similarly, subsequent examination has unveiled that 11% of households that own pets also function as foster homes for other animals.

Moreover, a significant number of individuals in the United States perceive their domesticated animals as integral members of their households. Thus, there is an upward trend in the amount of money individuals spend annually on their pets. For instance, in 2022, the United States spent a total of USD 136.8 billion on pets, according to a report. Such factors are likely to drive the regional market growth.

The Asia-Pacific pet product packaging market is growing owing to a rise in urbanization, soaring disposable income, and a surge in the millennial population, which is ultimately leading to higher adoption of pets. For instance, the percentage of millennials and Generation Z in India's population was 52% in 2021, compared to the global average of 47%. This trend is anticipated to continue until 2030. In addition, the countries in the region are taking several initiatives to improve their pet adoption rate. For instance, an adoption drive conducted by The Hindu and Amazon Prime Video in India in April 2022 permitted individuals to adopt stray animals into their families, and people were urged to adopt strays rather than purchasing breeds, many of which are not suited to the Indian climate. Such initiatives would increase demand for pet product packaging in the Asia-Pacific.

In Europe, the presence of critical market players taking initiatives to strengthen their market share in the packaging industry is the primary growth driver for the European region. For instance, Amcor acquired a world-class quality flexible packaging plant in the Czech Republic in August 2022. The site's strategic location immediately increased Amcor's capacity to meet strong demand and customer growth throughout its European flexible packaging network. The plant is a greenfield development commissioned by DG Pack in 2019 and is equipped with cutting-edge specialized machinery for lucrative markets such as pet food and coffee.

In addition, many key regional players are focusing on developing sustainable pet product packaging solutions. For instance, in May 2022, Coveris collaborated with Ultra-Premium Direct, a French manufacturer of natural premium pet food, on recyclable and mono-material polyethylene (PE) bags for the Protein Boost pet food product line. Such developments are expected to drive regional market growth.

Segmental Analysis

The global market is segmented by material and product.

Based on material, the global pet product packaging market share is bifurcated into paper and paperboard, plastic, metal, and others.

Metal packaging is composed of two materials, i.e., aluminum steel sheets and a container. The plating of steel sheets with tin and organic lac prevents steel from directly contacting food. Therefore, corrosion-resistant metal packaging is manufactured. Currently, the key determinants influencing the favorability of metal packaging include the malleability of metal materials through contemporary manufacturing techniques and sophisticated machinery, the creation of user-friendly lids, the availability of diverse surface designs, and the provision of high durability and airtightness. Metal packaging is mostly utilized to package canned food products. The utilization of metal packaging in the food and beverage sectors has experienced a twofold growth over the past decade.

Based on product, the global pet product packaging market share is segmented into cans, bags and pouches, folding cartons, plastic bottles and jars, and others.

The emergence of the folding carton during the latter part of the 19th century was a notable landmark in the evolution of the contemporary packaging industry. The process involves the manipulation of a paperboard folding carton, which undergoes a sequence of operations, including printing, laminating, cutting, folding, and gluing. The cartons are transported in a flattened state to a packing plant, where specialized technology is employed to fold the carton into its final configuration as a container for a designated product.

Recent Developments

• August 2023- Mondi announced their collaboration with Fressnapf to roll out recyclable mono-material packaging for its dry pet food line; the packaging will be decorated with process color printing technology that uses less ink and chemicals.
• May 2023- UPM Speciality Papers, a subsidiary of the paper mill company UPM, partnered with Italian paper bag experts Fiorini Packaging to develop a fiber-based sack suitable for pet food.