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"Replace plastic with paper" will become a new trend in the packaging industry

"Replace plastic with paper" will become a new trend in the packaging industry

With the implementation of the “Plastic Ban”, finding alternatives to plastic packaging and plastic straws has become a hot point. The disposable plastic straws disappeared from the national beverage chains. Instead, the use of bioplastic and pulp molded products began to increase. Food containers for fast foods, consumer electronics, cosmetics, etc., play important roles in environmental protection.

On the aspect of market scale, according to the data by Global market insights Inc., the global scale of the pulp molded market is 3.4 billion in 2019. And Asia-Pacific is the largest area for the global pulp molded packaging industry with a market share of about 40%.

In January 2020, China thoroughly limited the use of non-biodegradable plastic. Some famous chain stores, such as Starbucks, Macdonald’s and HEYTEA, gradually reduced the use of plastic straws, and used paper straws or direct drinking lids to replace them. As an alternative to food packaging, the applications of pulp molded products are highly approved by the market. With the implementation of the detailed requirements of the plastic ban and increasing human environmental protection awareness, paper will become an economical and eco-friendly material to use for packaging. In the future, replacing plastic with paper will become a trend in the packaging industry.

Although the market scale of the pulp molding industry is small now in China, it has large development potential. With the implementation of the plastic ban, the permeability of molded pulp will reach 30% in the plastic packaging market in 2025, and the capacity of the pulp molding market will reach 238.8 billion.

Whether it is bioplastic or pulp molded packaging, it is important for high performance and safety. For consumers, the safety of food packaging is a key problem they will consider. Nowadays, many pulp molding companies have begun to focus on technology development and product safety, and set up strategic cooperation with clients to promote these kinds of eco-friendly alternatives, such as PFAS-free pulp molded food containers. On the whole, the pulp molding industry is still developing at a rapid rate in China and with large market potential.