Green packaging key trend at CHINAPLAS 2015

SMART, multifunction, lightweight, and environment-friendly packaging is defining trends and innovations at the CHINAPLAS 2015. Asia’s no. 1 plastics and rubber show, and now the world’s no. 2, will be held from May 20 to 23, 2015 at the China Import & Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.  

More than 3,100 companies from over 39 countries and regions will display their latest packaging technologies and products during the four-day trade event. Thirteen countries and regions --Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Switzerland, the UK, the US, China, and Taiwan--will have their own pavilions to present their respective products and services.  About 120,000 professional buyers from 130 countries and regions, and more than 100 buyer groups are expected to visit the trade fair.  

The exhibition area will exceed 230,000sqm. More than 3,000 sets of machinery will be on display.  Many leading companies around the world are expected to join, including Haitian, Engel, Chen Hsong, Milacron, Borch, Designer, Nanjing KY, Jinhai, Hasco, Mould-Tip, Synventive, Kingfa, Mitsubishi Chemical, and EMS-Chemie.  

During the show, Totani will be exhibiting its three-side-seal pouch making machine, which can produce up to 960 pouches per minute. The machine comes in three different lengths to suit factory space requirements.  

Brückner will promote production lines for high-barrier BOPP films, BOPET lines for various optical applications up to 400 microns, and LISIM (R) simultaneous technology for contact-free stretching.  

Leveraging strong plastic packaging market

“Green” plastic packaging is increasingly adopted in the overall packaging industry owed to rising concerns pertaining to food safety and environmental impact. The sector currently accounts for more than 30 percent of the packaging market.

Considered as the rising star of the industry, plastics is gaining more traction in the food and beverage, daily commodity, medical and pharmacy, and industrial and agricultural manufacturing segments. In China, the world’s largest producer and consumer of agricultural products, where 30 percent of such products are wasted during storage, transportation and retail due to poor packaging, new packaging technologies that will improve product handling and shelf life are winning some market following. Products featuring active packaging, films of high gas barrier, heat resistance, cold tolerance, heat shrinkability, oven-proof and antimicrobial properties therefore have a strong market potential.

In the beverage segment, PET bottles are widely used for carbonated drinks with a 57.4 percent share of the market. Heat-resistant PET bottles, which comprise the fastest-growing category among polyester-type bottles, are experiencing an annual growth rate exceeding 50 percent partly because of the robust tea market in China. The adoption of PET shrinkable film in PET beer bottles will boost the shrinkable film line in coming years, with at least 20 percent growth rate projected. 

Medicine packaging is likewise growing, spurred by China’s strong medicine industry. The key categories in this line are eco-friendly and easy-to-use medicine packaging materials and vessels, including prefilled syringes, packaging for portable pill dispensers, PVC substitutes, and temperature-memory packaging. Special packaging for children, the elderly, and the handicapped is poised for greater market adoption.

Novel and highly aesthetic packaging is also on the rise as consumers are more able to spend on high-end products. 

All these developments are matched by new sealing methods such as plastic zippers and screw cap pouches.