Market Trends of United States and Europe Reusable Plastic Returnable Transport Packaging Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the US & Europe Reusable Plastic Returnable Transport Packaging Market according to our research experts:
Pallets to Account for Major Market Share
- Plastic pallets are used to store and ship full loads of products. Their contoured, all-plastic structure protects the product from damage from nails, rust, or splinters (commonly found in wood pallets). This factor is driving the demand for these pellets in the United States.
- In addition, reusable packaging eliminates injuries from box cutters, staples, and broken wooden pallets. Big 5 Corporation, a major sporting goods retailer with 240 stores in the Western United States, shifted to nestable plastic pallets, which eliminated injuries and equipment damage from wood pallets falling apart. This move improved ergonomics, made for cleaner facilities, increased worker productivity, and saved space in the warehouse.
- Various retailers from the food and pharmaceutical industries are replacing wooden pallets with plastic pallets due to sanitation and safety are top priorities in both sectors and the adoption of automation technology in the company's warehouse is catering to the demand because deformed wooden pallets threaten to block the mechanical conveyor belts. For instance, recently, one of France's largest food retailers has replaced its wooden pallet in its logistics operations and is now building up its inventory of plastic pallets. For the internal flow of goods between its 29 warehouses and 1,600 supermarkets in the chain, the freight forwarder has purchased 330,000 Craemer CS1 plastic pallets.
- Companies in the region are constantly launching HDPE Plastic pallets to meet the end-user needs. For instance, in September 2021, Craemer Group announced the launch of TC3-5 Palgrip, the completely closed plastic pallet with a fully anti-slip coated top deck that puts safety and hygiene at the forefront. It is made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, perfect for hygienic-first operations since the top and bottom decks are completely closed.
Understand The Key Trends Shaping This Market
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Food and Beverage End-user Vertical to Grow Significantly
- In the food and beverage industry, RTP packaging is used throughout the supply chain, such as for transporting food and beverage raw materials from farms to processing plants. RTP packaging solutions such as plastic food pallets protect beverage bottles and cans during processing, storage, and distribution applications throughout the supply chain. Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) are designed and used for packing and transporting perishable food items from farm and food processing facilities to retail and food service establishments in the United States and Europe.
- In Europe, considering beverages, cross-border product flows include transportation of milk, water, dairy products, beer, soft drinks, and wine. According to the European Union Study, except wine, all the other beverages are consumed by more than 90% in the country where they are produced. However, a substantial amount of wine travels across borders in the EU-internal market while a large amount of that is exported in bulk containers in the area of consumption.
- Several countries in Europe are emphasizing on recycling of various types of packaging. Earlier, returnable transport plastic packaging was not included in the packaging laws by the national governments; however, in recent years, they have included this packaging also. For instance, in July 2021, the German Packaging Act was amended, which made it mandatory to register in the LUCID portal from July 2022 if any business place packaging, including B2B transport packaging, commercial packaging, and returnable packaging, among others.
- Market developments such as various partnerships within the value chain are helping the market growth in the region. For instance, in February 2021, CHEP, a supply chain solutions company, announced a new five-year contract with Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP), which will be in effect until April 2025, to supply pooled pallets across the Western Europe region.
