North America Healthcare Flexible Packaging Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Material, By Product (Seals, Pouches, Sachets), By Application, By End Use, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027

Report Overview

The North America healthcare flexible packaging market size was valued at USD 8.1 billion in 2019 and is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 5.4% over the forecast period. Factors such as large consumption of high-value drugs, and high health awareness are few factors attributed to the industry growth.

In addition, the U.S. pharmaceutical market has been witnessing substantial growth since the past few years owing to the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, aging population, and advancements in pharmaceutical research and development.

The market growth can be attributed to the recent increase in the usage of disposable medical products. A large number of medical products used in modern healthcare facilities, such as scalpels, thermometers, syringes, needles, pre-filled syringes, and trays, are available as disposables. As these products offer benefits such as a reduction in risk of cross-contamination, safety, sterility, and convenience of usage, the demand for plastic and paper packaging materials has increased.

Retorting Pouches and bags segment achieved the highest market penetration in terms of revenue among other product types in the industry in 2019. Amcor plc is among the leading providers of pouches and bags in the market. The wide-scale adoption of pouches and bags for the packaging of medical and diagnostic equipment has led to its highest share in 2019. Other product types such as sachets and stick packs are also exhibiting significant growth owing to the increasing preference for convenient and unit dose packaging.

Various technological developments in the industry such as Activ-Blister desiccant film technology, childproof and senior citizen-friendly packaging, and counterfeiting technologies that protect the packed products and prevents counterfeiting are expected to propel market growth over the forecast period.

Material Insights

Based on material, plastic continues to remain as the most commonly employed material in the North American healthcare flexible packaging market. When it comes to healthcare packaging, pharmaceutical/medical companies look beyond the scope of aesthetics of packaging products. In this regard, end-use companies typically opt for functional packaging materials that serve multiple purposes such as protecting products/devices from moisture and sunlight, providing tamper evidence, and extending the shelf life/expiry dates of products.

In addition, among various types of plastics, PE is among the most widely used materials in the industry. PE is principally employed in the pharmaceutical industry as it is available at the lowest cost in comparison with other plastic variants/ grades.

Plastic is followed by aluminum, wherein aluminum is typically employed in the form of foils in the healthcare packaging industry. Aluminum’s properties combine to provide safe, versatile, and user-friendly packaging formats for pharmaceutical creams, tablets, powders, and liquids, among other products. Aluminum is preferred in the healthcare packaging market for its superior barrier properties that help exclude oxygen, moisture, and light, among other elements that could come in contact with the contents packaged.

Product Insights

Based on product, pouches and bags which finds its use in packing of IV fluid, blood samples, urine, implants and other medical devices have dominated the market. Furthermore, manufacturers of pouches and bags are focusing on incorporating multilayer laminations in packages to offer robust barrier protection to healthcare products against moisture and oxygen.

In terms of type, flat pouches and bags continue to remain as the most preferred packaging formats within the North American healthcare industry. Flat pouches and bags growth is expected to be sustained throughout the forecast period owing to the rising adoption of four-side-seal packaging formats with greater convenience of serving (pharmaceuticals) and improved barrier structures.

Furthermore, to achieve child resistance in healthcare packaging products, prominent market participants in North America are focusing on employing opaque and multiple laminated materials while also improving the overall barrier protection feature of packages. Flexible childproof pouches and bags have emerged as a progressive form of healthcare packaging to meet the growing demands of retailers and consumers alike.

On a macro level, the demand for pouches and bags for healthcare applications is attributable to the scope for custom printing in these packaging formats. These products help customers see dosage information clearly while being able to identify OTC drugs or other healthcare products of a specific brand quickly or easily.

Application Insights

Based on the application, the non-sterile packaging dominated the market and is used to pack medical devices and few other pharmaceutical products such as digestive aids and adult oral care products that do not require sterilization. The packaging provides protection from external environmental factors such as temperature, vibration, and damaging forces.

Furthermore, sterile packaging is expected to grow at a faster pace in contrast with the non-sterile packaging as it offers possesses additional properties such as aseptic and high microbial barriers in order to protect the drugs and medical devices. The demand for form-fill-seal bags that offer advantages such as a consistent packaging rate, which boost production rate and price margins is expected to drive demand for sterile application.

End-use Insights

Based on end use, the market has been segmented into pharmaceutical, medical and implants. Pharmaceutical emerged as the largest end-use segment in 2019 in terms of revenues and is expected to continue its dominance over the forecast period. This is attributed to the high drug spending population in the U.S.

Furthermore, implants end-use is expected to expand at a higher CAGR owing to the increasing demand for orthopedic, cardiac, spinal, dental, neurostimulators, breast, and facial surgical implantations. The growth in demand is attributed to the rising aging population in the region.

Retort pouches are also used for packaging several types of beverages, including ready-to-drink products, energy and sports drinks, soft drinks, and juices. Growing demand for a wide variety of beverages, most particularly organic and healthy beverages, is expected to have a positive impact on market growth over the coming years.

The medical end-use includes packaging of medical instruments such as syringes, thermometers, scalpels, and curettes/scalers among others. These are primarily packed in pouches or thermoformed plastic packaging with flexible lids/seals. Rising demand for cosmetic surgeries and dental treatments are expected to drive the demand for medical instruments, thereby favoring market growth.

Regional Insights

The region is experiencing significant inclination toward disposable packaging solutions in lieu of technological advancements in material selection and consumer awareness toward environment protection. This factor coupled with high disposable income and rising investment in the healthcare sector in the region is expected to boost market growth.

The U.S. dominated the market in 2019 and is likely to continue its dominance over the forecast period. The pouched and bags product type is one of the prominent types due to ongoing advances in puncture resistance, strength, and barrier properties, which, in turn, expands their applicability in the packaging of small to medium-sized medical supplies and devices. The U.S. continues to be a major market as advanced medical product manufacturers in the country are commercializing high-end and value-added instruments, devices, and supplies requiring specialized packaging needs.

Key Companies & Share Insights

The presence of internationally-renowned public players in the industry space is likely to lead to increased instances of mergers and acquisitions over the forecast period. Amcor plc emerged as the market leader. This company strengthened its position in the North American healthcare packaging market by acquiring Bemis Company Inc in 2019. This acquisition also helped the company become more competitive globally. Some of the prominent players in the North America healthcare flexible packaging market include:

• Amcor plc

• CCL Industries

• Mondi

• CONSTANTIA

• Glenroy, Inc.

• Covertech Flexible Packaging Inc.

• Flexible Pack

• GS Medical Packaging Inc.

• OLIVER

• Flex-Pack

North America Healthcare Flexible Packaging Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at regional and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2016 to 2027. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the North America healthcare flexible packaging market report on the basis of material, product, application, end use, and country.

• Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Plastic

    • PVC

    • PP

    • PET

    • PE

    • Others

  • Paper

  • Aluminum

  • Others

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Seals/Lids & Labels

  • Pouches & Bags

    • Flat

    • Stand-Up

  • Stick Packs

  • Sachets

  • Wraps

  • Strip Packs

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Sterile

  • Non-sterile

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • Pharmaceutical

  • Medical Devices

  • Implants

• Country Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico