Sustainable Food and Beverage Packaging Market to Surpass $42 Billion by 2010

New York, December 8, 2006 — As the collective U.S. consciousness slowly accepts the idea of sustainable and eco-friendly products, manufacturers and retailers have responded, particularly in the food and beverage industry where shipments of sustainable or “green” packaging exceeded $37 billion in 2005, according to Sustainable (“Green”) Packaging Market for Food & Beverages, a new report from market research publisher Specialists in Business Information (SBI).

SBI projects the market will continue to see annual increases in value, with the market supply for sustainable packaging surpassing $42 billion in 2010. Sustainable plastics, which grew by 5% from 2001 to 2005, are expected to continue to grow at a similar rate through 2010 as demand for both rigid and flexible forms continues to increase, and plastics, along with metals, continue to eat into the market share of glass. Flexible packaging is also projected to grow at just over 3% during the next five years based on the success of stand-up pouches and retort packaging.

Not surprisingly, the report takes to task the whole notion of sustainability in its own right, clarifying the terminologies used to determine which products fit into an eco-friendly profile and which do not. Where many consumers may only consider biodegradable packaging as truly “green,” industry-wide, the notion of sustainability is much broader.

“For most food and beverage packaging products, the recyclability and re-usability of a material is paramount to its acceptance as sustainable,” notes Tatjana Meerman, Managing Editor of SBI. “In addition, other eco-friendly factors, such as the amount of energy used to produce packaging from original raw materials versus recycled materials, transportation/fuel costs, costs to recycle, and other variables, are all factored into the discussion of sustainability.”

Containing comprehensive data on U.S. shipments, imports and exports, end-use markets, eco-conscious demographic profiles, and the competitive environment, Sustainable (“Green”) Packaging Market for Food & Beverages identifies key issues, regulations and trends affecting the marketplace. Priced at $3,000, this report is available from SBI by visiting: http://www.sbireports.com/product/display.asp?productid=1209586. It is also available at MarketResearch.com.

About Specialists in Business Information
Specialists in Business Information (SBI), a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes research reports in the construction, materials, and consumer goods markets. For more information visit http://www.sbireports.com, or contact Tom Ehart at 240-747-3014, or tehart@marketresearch.com.