Italy Glass Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID -19 Impact, Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

The Itlay Glass Packaging Market is expected to register a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period. With the outbreak of Covid19, the pharmaceutical glass packaging industry witnessed an increasing demand with the increasing use of drugs in the country. The National Decree issued on March 22nd stated that Stevanato Group activities are considered ‘essential business.’ Hence, the company is carrying out production without interruption from its manufacturing plants located in Piombino Dese.

Key Highlights

• According to the European Glass Container Federation, 78% of glass bottles and jars are collected and recycled into food-grade material in Italy. Further, The Italian recycling system lags in pollution generated by plastic compared to its other European counterparts. This is expected to create avenues for future increases in the use of glass.
• Further, to meet the demands of the domestic market, vendors such as Birra Peroni (part of Asahi Group Holdings Ltd) are upgrading their glass bottling capacity. Along with increased productivity, these upgrades will add to flexibility and sustainability. The company has set up this glass line in partnership with Sidel, featuring the latest innovations, like EvoFill Glass filler and Evodeco Cold Glue labeler.
• Major vial manufacturers have progressed significantly in terms of converting and packaging processes. For instance, automated inspection systems are being used to inspect all key surfaces of the vial packaging and detect defects invisible to the human eye. On a similar note, in February 2020, Stevanato Group and Bormioli Pharma signed a collaboration agreement for glass-molded vials development in EZ-fill configuration. The agreement enabled biopharma customers, contract filling organizations, and research laboratories to receive Bormioli Pharma’s proprietary primary containers in Ompi’s industry-recognized EZ-fill secondary packaging configuration.
• Furthermore, Bormioli Pharma glass vials in Ompi’s packaging configurations possess the capability of processing into existing fill-finish lines. This secondary packaging is expected to mitigate the risk of breakages, cosmetic issues, and particulate generation and finds applications from lab-scale manual filling up to the traditional filling process, accelerating the commercialization of pharmaceutical and biologics.

Key Market Trends

Vials Expected to Witness Significant Growth

• The pharmaceutical market in Italy is growing with significant investments from pharmaceutical companies in the region. The vast market is driving the growth of pharmaceutical glass packaging in the country, as most pharmaceutical companies prefer glass as the primary packaging material for drugs.
• Vendors are engaged in coalitions for the packaging of the already developed COVID-19 vaccines. For instance, in June 2020, Epidemic Preparedness Innovations signed a coalition agreement with Stevanto to supply 100 million type-1 borosilicate glass vials to hold up to two billion doses of a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus.
• Further, in January 2021, Sanofi chose EUROAPI to produce and market active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The project announced by Sanofi in February 2020 aims to create a standalone company to combine Sanofi's API commercial and development activities with six of its European production sites, including Brindisi (Italy). Such moves increase opportunities for tubular vial vendors in the country.
• Moreover, in April 2021, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), Aenova Group, announced its fill-finish capacity in Latina, Italy, for the production of BSL1 And BSL2 vaccines along with biologics against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The company invested EUR 16 million for fill and finish, mainly focusing on vials. In addition, aseptic filling production is fully automated to fill the ready-to-use vials with a capacity ranging from 2 ml to 10 ml. This is expected to drive the market during the forecast period.
• Furthermore, in April 2020, the Italian government recommended AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine for people aged above 60 years. Later, the government also approved Johnson and Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine shots to people aged above 60 years and distributed 184,000 doses. Such recommendations show the increased need for vials in the country, which is expected to increase faster during the forecast period.

Personal Care Expected to Witness Significant Growth

• The market is witnessing acquisitions, which is helping in exponential market growth. For instance, in January 2020, Bulgaria-based Induplast SpA, a cosmetics packaging manufacturer, acquired Verve SpA, based in Vedano Olona, active in the production and marketing of bottles and jars. This would help in the catalog expansion of both the companies and increase the customer base.
• In Italy, oral care is gaining benefits from rising consumer consciousness related to the importance of prevention of oral problems, and proper oral hygiene. This is increasing the export and import volumes of oral care products in Italy, therefore causing growth in the usage of products by Italian consumers, and the acceptance of Italian products by global consumers also.
• The consumption of cosmetic products witnessed a slight increase in 2020, due to which packaging companies are coming up with new packaging solutions to attract customers and to increase consumption significantly. For instance, Capardoni, a glass packaging company specializing in the distribution of sprays, dispenser pumps, and laminated tubes invested in ‘green packaging,’ testing of new materials on different packaging solutions, and investment on R&D for new packaging solutions and delivery systems.
• Further, in November 2020, Mozzafiato launched a new e-commerce platform showcasing a collection of iconic Italian beauty brands in one place. The Mozzafiato Collection includes seventeen brands to start, representing the diversity of regions across Italy, with product lines that span skincare, fragrance, bath and body, men’s lines, and home. This is poised to increase the usage of the packaging of such cosmetics products through glass packaging.

Competitive Landscape

The Italy Glass Packaging Market moderately competitive, with a considerable number of regional and global players. However, the properties of glass and its benefits to beverages, cosmetics, and other industries are leading to increased adoption of glass bottles, containers, vials and ampoules. Players in the market adopting strategies such as product innovation, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions to increase their market share and further recyclability driving the market.

• March 2021 - SGD Pharma announced the updated version of the Type I molded glass vial range, available in three market-driven offerings, each offered to satisfy different needs and parenteral drug specifications. The offering provides pharma and biopharma companies with products and services solutions that meet the needs of their therapeutic applications, drug properties, and business environment.
• February 2021 - Ardagh Group launched Absolut’s latest limited-edition vodka bottle, ‘Absolut Movement’ to inspire people in celebration of inclusivity. The frosted blue glass bottle features an upward spiral design of 16 swirls, symbolic of the never-ending cycle of change. The upward flow of the swirling spiral indicates social growth

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