U.S. packaging barrier resins market value to grow at a CAGR of 1.5% between 2011-2016, reach 8.7 billion lbs. in 2016, BCC Research forecasts; volume of packaging barrier resins at nearly 8.1 billion lbs. in 2011

Lorena Madrigal

WELLESLEY, Massachusetts , December 13, 2011 (press release) – In a recent release, PLASTICS FOR BARRIER PACKAGING (PLS014F) from BCC Research (www.bccresearch.com), the volume of packaging barrier resins totaled nearly 8.1 billion pounds in 2011. That value is projected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.5% between 2011 and 2016, reaching 8.7 billion pounds in 2016.

The U.S. barrier packaging market can be broken down into three segments – barrier resins, permeable films, and tie layer resins.

Barrier resins, the largest segment, totaled 7.2 billion pounds in 2011, a number expected to reach 7.8 billion pounds in 2016 after increasing at a 1.5% CAGR.

Permeable films accounted for 637 million pounds in 2016, and, after increasing at a CAGR of 1.5%, this segment should reach 686 million pounds.

Tie layer resins totaled 190 million pounds in 2011, and by 2016, the segment is expected to reach 204 million pounds, a CAGR of 1.4%.

All packaging provides some sort of barrier; this is a primary reason for packaging products in the first place. Packaging protects products from infiltration or, in some cases, exfiltration, the latter the passing of a material or materials out of the container of contaminants, of flavor, color, odor, etc., as well as preserving the contents. Plastics, that is, polymers ordinarily made from chemical and petrochemical raw materials, are everywhere around us, in a multitude of goods ranging from small children’s toys to automobile bodies and house siding.

The growth of plastic barrier packaging, in the sophisticated sense used in this report, has been significant since the discovery and development of the first synthetic specialty barrier resin, polyvinylidene chloride, Dow Chemical’s old Saran brand, in the 1950s and 1960s. The commercialization of ethylene vinyl alcohol occurred a bit later, in the 1970s. These two resins form the backbone of high-barrier plastic packaging.

This report is intended to inform and assist those involved in several different U.S. industrial and commercial business sectors, primarily individuals with an interest in packaging. These organizations and people include those involved in development, formulation, manufacture, sale, and use of barrier polymer and polymer processes; also, those in ancillary businesses such as processing equipment as well as additives and other support chemicals and equipment.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.