Middle East and Africa Home Care Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Middle East and Africa Home Care Packaging Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% during the forecast period 2021-2026. Low-cost packaging, the convenience of use, and convenient storage have maintained key consumer trends throughout the assessment period. Small pack sizes, which are more affordable to the whole customer base, have emerged as more appealing options for brand owners looking to acquire a competitive edge in the market.

Key Highlights

• Plastic has been one of the most used materials for home care products packaging. Home care packaging innovations have been numerous, particularly in laundry care, despite the industry’s modest growth. While sales and revenues stagnate in developed countries, developing markets are driving volume sales through small bottle sizes that make laundry detergent affordable. ​​​
• Household products, such as dish wash liquids, toilet cleaners, and floor cleaning acids, are mostly packaged in PET bottles. ​The market is witnessing new packaging and labeling approaches by companies in order to maintain the recyclability of their products. ​​​
• Furthermore, South African consumers are expected to demand high-quality products with essential features, such as reliability and affordability. Consumers in this region usually opt for local brands or international brands depending on local lifestyles, customs, and affordability.​
• In the face of the continuing pandemic, consumers are prioritizing essentials in the Middle East and Africa. Several home care products and cleaners are no longer considered commodities, and the industry was among the best performing in 2020. And, prior to 2020, the home care category was on a downward trend in most markets.

Key Market Trends

Covid-19 Upsurge the Growth of the Packaging Market

• The country is witnessing a considerable demand for home care packaging products in the Middle East & African countries. For instance, Marssai, a Dubai-based company that manufactures hand sanitizer, hand wash, and shampoo, said that the public health crisis that the COVID-19 outbreak has created has translated into sales beyond any forecasting tool could predict. The company claims to have sold close to 100,000 bottles of hand sanitizer in a single week. ​
• Recently, according to the Saudi organization (SASO), plastic products must be made of an approved oxo-biodegradable material, which might restrict the import of plastics in the country that could hinder the production of packaging solutions for home care solutions.​
• On the other hand, South African consumers are expected to demand high-quality products with essential features, such as reliability and affordability. Consumers in this region usually opt for local or international brands depending on local lifestyles, customs, and affordability.​

Rapid Growing Demand for Paper Packaging in Home Care Products

• The increasing environmental concerns over the use of plastic packaging are driving industries to look for sustainable packaging. The retailers’ implementation of plastic reducing and recycling measures, and political discussions of legal measures, have created media attention, raising consumer awareness of the enormous problem plastics can pose to wildlife and the environment.​
• Paper is far more biodegradable than plastic material and can be easily recycled. The paper could be re-pulped without chemical reactions and is less sensitive to contamination. This has led to some established brands replacing plastic packaging with paper.​
• Today companies and brands are boosting their investment in sustainable packaging solutions, like compostable compressed paper bottles. These paper bottles claim to save 60-70% of plastic material compared to regular plastic bottles of the same size and are both compostable and recyclable. Comprised of an outer shell and an inner pouch, this bottle is made to easily disassemble for recycling. The outer shell pops away from the inner pouch after use and can be recycled up to seven times more or composted. ​
• Therefore, increasing demand for paper-based packaging along with less usage of plastic packaging in-home care industry is expected to augment the market growth in this region.

Competitive Landscape

The Middle East and Africa Home Care Packaging Market is partially fragmented. Some of the major players in the market are Amcor PLC, RPC Group, Mondi Group, International Paper, ClearPack, Aptar Group. Recent Developments made in this sector are:

• In April 2021, Unilever and Amcor Plc have agreed to work together to develop a more eco-friendly and sustainable packaging solution for some of Unilever's leading home care brands. A wide range of home and personal care goods can benefit from the innovative packaging approach.
• In February 2021, Alpla Group, an Austrian packaging company, has agreed to invest an average of USD 60.5 million per year between 2021 and 2025 in developing its plastic recycling capacity. The company's main goal is to create a bottle-to-bottle cycle in different parts of the world, including the Middle East, Africa, China, Southeast Asia, and India.

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• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
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