Demand for beverage containers in China is projected to increase 8.2
percent per annum to 298 billion units in 2012.
Gains will be driven by increasing personal income levels, which in
turn will support robust growth in packaged beverage consumption.
Continued utilization of single-serving containers in many markets and
high levels of new product introductions accompanied by aggressive
marketing efforts will also contribute to beverage container gains.
These and other trends are presented in Beverage Containers in
China, a new study from the Beijing office of The
Freedonia Group, Inc.,
a Cleveland-based industry research firm.
Plastic containers, which accounted for 42 percent of unit beverage
container demand in 2007, will continue to lead the market and capture
market share
from traditional metal
and glass containers. Advances will be buoyed by plastic’s
increasingly widespread usage in almost all market segments. The
rising popularity of smaller plastic bottles, such as single-serving
PET bottles, will also support unit gains.
Glass will remain the second largest beverage container material,
with a projected market share of 24 percent of units in 2012. Gains
will benefit from the upscale, premium image conveyed by glass. Beer
will continue to offer the best prospects for glass bottles based on
strong increases in beer consumption. Expanding use of nonreturnable
beer bottles will additionally bolster sales gains in glass bottles.
Paperboard was the third largest beverage container material in 2007.
Demand for paperboard containers is projected to increase to nearly 64
billion units in 2012, representing the fastest growth among all
beverage containers. Gains will track the favorable production outlook
for milk, fruit beverages and other nonalcoholic beverages, benefiting
from robust gains in consumer spending and sustained consumer interest
in the health benefits of these beverages.
Milk
containers are expected to remain the leading market for beverage
containers, followed by beer,
with unit market shares of 33 percent and 19 percent, respectively, in
2012. Fruit beverages are forecast to overtake all other beverages to
become the third largest drink container market in 2012, benefiting
from a positive nutritional profile and the introduction of new flavor
blends and packaging forms.
Beverage Containers in China
(published 05/2009, 261
pages) is available for $5,200 from The Freedonia Group, Inc. For
further details, e-mail
pr@freedoniagroup.com.
Information may also be obtained through www.freedoniagroup.com.