Putting the Pieces Together in Plastic Packaging: Expansion and Diversification Drive a Fragmented Industry Towards Consolidation

As the European plastic packaging industry is immensely heterogenic and fragmented, it is understandable that the industry finds itself in the midst of a consolidation wave. Between 2005 and June 2019, there were no less than 412 transactions in this industry, and the annual number has grown rapidly since 2014. Scale and partnerships become more crucial for companies in order to remain innovative, and thus competitive. Looking ahead, Rabobank believes that the consolidation process will continue at recent levels, driven by the industry structure, economics, the need to follow multinational offtakers into new geographies, the necessity to innovate better and faster, and sustainability.