United States and Europe Reusable Plastic Returnable Transport Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The US and European reusable plastic returnable transport packaging market was valued at USD 19.55 billion in 2020. It is expected to reach a value of USD 24.08 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of approximately 3.37% over the forecast period (2021-2026). The COVID-19 outbreak affected international trade and the supply chains of essential and non-essential goods and services worldwide.

In June 2020, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) stated that the month-on-month index of the industrial sector's output in the United Kingdom declined by over 20% in April 2020. Additionally, the drop indicated the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the UK economy. The biggest fall of 24.3% was recorded in the manufacturing industry, accounting for about 75% of the production industries. The decline in industrial production due to the pandemic significantly affected the growth of the market.

Key Highlights

• The increasing demand for the export and import of goods, coupled with the growing e-commerce industry in the United States and Europe, is expected to drive the growth of the market significantly during the forecast period. According to the US Census Bureau, the total imports and exports of goods in the United States accounted for USD 163,928.54 million and USD 90,652.29 million, respectively, as of May 2020.
• The governments in the studied regions are also emphasizing on using reusable and recyclable packaging alternatives to enable a waste-free and circular economy, which is one of the important factors contributing to growth of the studied market. The European Commission has increased its legislative efforts to reduce solid waste and is promoting a circular economy. In March 2020, the European Union released its new circular economy action plan.
• Automation is one of the important elements in the overall supply chain process. It drives efficiency without compromising on quality. A market player, CHEP launched IoT sensor-equipped quarter pallets, which provide product manufacturers with complete supply chain visibility, from the production plant to the distribution center and the retail floor. Also, ORBIS’s new Odyssey Pallet offers features to accommodate different IoT devices.
• However, the adoption of reusable plastic RTP largely depends on the stakeholders across the supply chain realizing its benefits. According to a survey conducted by Orbis Corporation, 46% of the supply chain executives studied mentioned resistance to process change as the major factor that may impede their supply chain performance. Thus, the lack of acceptance from people in the industry poses a challenge to the growth of the studied market.

Key Market Trends

Pallets to Account for Significant Market Share

• Plastic pallets are used to store and ship full loads of products. Their contoured, all-plastic structure protects the product from damage from nails, rust, or splinters (commonly found in wood pallets). This factor is driving the demand for these pellets in the United States.
• In addition, reusable packaging eliminates injuries from box cutters, staples, and broken wooden pallets. Big 5 Corporation, a major sporting goods retailer with 240 stores in the Western United States, shifted to nestable plastic pallets, which eliminated injuries and equipment damage from wood pallets falling apart. This move improved ergonomics, made for cleaner facilities, increased worker productivity, and saved space in the warehouse.
• Retailers in Europe are replacing wooden pallets with plastic pallets because deformed wooden pallets threaten to block mechanical conveyor belts in factories, where automation is becoming much more common.
• For instance, in November 2020, one of France’s largest food retailers replaced wooden pallet in its logistics operations and is now building its own inventory of plastic pallets. For the internal flow of goods between its 29 warehouses and 1,600 supermarkets, the freight forwarder has purchased 330,000 Craemer CS1 plastic pallets.
• Further, during the pandemic, plastic pallets were being used for the transport of one of the vital ingredients that make up the second COVID-19 vaccine, which was authorized for use in the United Kingdom by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in December 2020. Goplasticpallets.com was approached in October by a leading international pharmaceutical provider with an urgent request for a plastic Euro pallet on five runners.

United Kingdom to Witness Significant Growth

• Many vendors in the United Kingdom are providing a diverse range of products catering to the market. For instance, Inka Pallets UK has many reusable folding pallet boxes to suit a broad range of industries, such as agriculture, automotive, food manufacturing, meat processing, textiles, and recycling.
• Further, the increase in demand for the export and import of goods and the e-commerce industry may drive the market over the forecast period. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), in 2019, goods worth around USD 468.82 billion were exported from the United Kingdom.
• The automotive industry may also contribute to the market's growth. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the European Union is the largest market for UK-manufactured vehicle exports, both in passenger cars and commercial vehicles. In 2019, every second car sold by UK-based manufacturers went to other member states of the European Union.
• With many new varieties of folding plastic box pallets, returnable packaging has become a cost-saving option. In October 2020, a UK-based reusable packaging and materials handling company, GWP Correx, announced the launch of a new returnable packaging system, Rapitainer.
• The Rapitainer system is explicitly aimed at businesses currently using high volumes of standard corrugated cardboard packaging. These returnable boxes can create significant cost savings compared with single-use cardboard boxes, with reductions of up to 75% possible.

Competitive Landscape

The US and European Reusable Plastic Returnable Transport Packaging Market is fragmented, as the market players are operating in a highly competitive landscape and are continuously upgrading their product portfolio in order to hold their positions.

• In January 2021, ConTeyor launched Ecopack KIT, which is a new generation of returnable modular storage. The company focuses on innovation, and the plastic container has been improved with a larger but light-weight all-in-one waterproof storage space.
• In August 2020, Recolight, one of the leading collector of waste lamps in the United Kingdom, added to its fleet of durable RB19 containers using Corplex’s returnable and reusable AkyPak containers. Working closely with Recolight, the team from Corplex designed the RB19 containers specifically for the safe storage of waste lamps, in compliance with annex VIII of the WEEE directive.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support