In the third quarter of 2024, prices for flexible packaging materials in Europe showed varying trends. While paper and PET film became more expensive, aluminium and some plastic films remained stable or declined slightly. Experts expect prices to remain largely stable in the fourth quarter.
Prices for flexible packaging materials in Europe developed unevenly in the third quarter of 2024, influenced by Factors such as raw material costs, logistics and international market conditions. According to the latest data, the price of single-sided coated paper (60 g/m²) rose to 150 per cent compared to the base year 2020 (Q1: 130 per cent, Q2: 140 per cent). This was driven by rising pulp costs. Aluminium foil (7 micron) remained stable at 161%, showing only a slight decline from the previous quarter's high of 164%.
There was an increase in PET film (12 micron), which rose to 148 per cent due to higher freight costs. Prices for BOPA film (15 micron) and BOPP film (20 micron) fell slightly to 131 per cent and 123 per cent respectively. Plastic prices for HDPE and LDPE remained stable to slightly lower: HDPE fell from 144 per cent to 137 per cent, while LDPE remained at 155 per cent.
Santiago Castro from Wood Mackenzie explained that the price fluctuations are due to the Commodity market volatility, logistics costs and offshore prices are. BOPET prices rose due to higher freight costs and paper prices climbed due to increased demand for pulp. The Demand for flexible packaging increased further in the third quarter, partly due to stock increases.
„Demand for flexible packaging was strong in the third quarter, driven by organic growth and partly by repeat orders. We expect demand to continue to stabilise in the next quarter. The rather subdued macroeconomic development in Europe and ongoing global tensions are leading to fragile consumer demand, making concrete predictions increasingly difficult and imprecise for all market participants. In general, flexible packaging manufacturers are cautiously optimistic about volume demand in the coming year.“
Guido Aufdemkamp, Managing Director of FPE
Source: Flexible Packaging Europe
