Containers made of plastics for beverages and food bottles in the US are forecasted to grow by 5%. Smaller sized beverage bottles will continue to fuel advances, growth will slow down from last decade pace due to increasing maturity in the soft drink segment. Some of the best opportunities for plastics in the container segment will be in the smaller niche areas of the market, such as in the production of trays for frozen and prepared foods.
Accelerated opportunities are expected in food and hot fill uses due to the heat resistance of resins such as Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The emergence of several barrier materials for PET containers used in beverages has opened up new possibilities in packaging fruit juices, dairy products, beer and some carbonated soft drinks that rely on enhanced barrier properties now offered in the market. Advances are foreseen for plastics container manufacturers specifically in the canning market for packaging products such as, snack foods, coffee and paint.
PET resins will therefore surpass the demand for high density polyethylene (HDPE) for packaging, due to the rapid advances in the bottled water market and expanded use in the food, household chemicals, cosmetics and toiletries segments. Even though HDPE will see its market share slip, it will account for 45% of plastic container volume based on its low cost and entrenched position.
(Based on a new study of the Freedonia Industry Research Group of Cleveland)
23-May-05 
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