Packaging Industry Today
India Flexible Packaging Market Valued at USD 26.62 Billion in 2024, Forecasted to Reach USD 46.99 Billion by 2035
India’s flexible packaging market is one of the fastest-growing segments of the country’s broader packaging industry — driven by evolving consumer habits, booming organised retail and e-commerce, and an accelerating pivot to sustainable materials. Flexible formats (films, pouches, laminates, sachets and rollstock) offer brand owners lower cost, lighter weight, superior barrier properties and shelf-ready convenience — attributes that match India’s urbanising, convenience-seeking consumer base.
Market at a glance
The Indian Flexible Packaging market is expected to expand from USD 26.62 billion in 2024 to USD 46.99 billion by 2035, indicating a strong and steady growth trajectory.
Why demand is rising
Several structural forces are converging to expand flexible packaging faster than many other packaging formats:
- Food & beverage dynamics.Ready-to-eat meals, packaged snacks, beverages and dairy products are increasingly sold in pouch and laminate formats because flexible packaging extends shelf life while reducing freight and storage costs. The food & beverage sector remains the single largest end-user of flexible films in India.
- E-commerce and last-mile logistics.Lightweight, tear-resistant rollstock and mailers reduce shipping costs and damage rates — a core advantage as online grocery, personal care and direct-to-consumer brands scale across tier-2 and tier-3 cities. IMARC and other forecasters explicitly link the e-commerce boom to stronger demand for flexible formats.
- Cost and substitution effect.Flexible packaging substitutes heavier formats (glass, metal and rigid plastics) in many applications — achieving cost savings along the supply chain and enabling larger pack footprints or resealable functionality without large cost penalties. Industry reports stress substitution as a major growth driver.
Download Exclusive Sample Copy of this Report here: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/21314
Technology and material trends
The backbone of the sector is polymer films — BOPP, PET, CPP, PE and multi-layer laminates — which combine mechanical strength with barrier layers for oxygen, moisture and aroma. Plastics remain the dominant raw material by revenue, although the fastest product innovation is happening in bioplastics and compostable films, as brands try to reconcile convenience with rising environmental expectations.
Investments by domestic manufacturers underscore this. Major players are expanding film capacity to capture demand: recent capital expenditure plans and new production lines for BOPP, PET and CPP signal confidence in volume growth and the need for localised production to manage raw material cycles and delivery timelines.
Sustainability: a market and regulatory inflection point
Sustainability is no longer optional. Consumer awareness, retailer procurement policies and impending regulatory measures (including Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks and single-use plastic restrictions) are pushing brand owners and converters to adopt recyclable mono-material structures, incorporate post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, and trial biodegradable alternatives.
Practical examples are emerging in India’s dairy and FMCG sectors: regional cooperatives and leading brands have piloted biodegradable milk pouches and compostable film options to reduce waste and ease municipal waste burdens — signaling that cost-competitive sustainable options are moving from lab to shelf.
Challenges for the sector
Growth is robust but not frictionless. The key challenges include:
- Recycling infrastructure: Multi-layer laminates are difficult to recycle under current systems. Until scalable collection, sorting and recycling or chemical-recovery pathways are in place, circularity goals remain aspirational for many multilayer products.
- Feedstock volatility: Polymer price swings (linked to crude oil and global supply chains) affect margins for converters and brand owners, occasionally prompting downgrades or switching between film types.
- Regulatory complexity: Patchwork regulations across states and evolving national policies require nimble compliance strategies and can raise the cost of roll-outs for novel packaging formats.
- Consumer perception: Despite convenience, consumers are sensitive to visible plastic waste; poor waste management can create reputational risk for brands using flexible films.
Major Players
Platinum Packaging, Visaka Industries, Sealed Air, Ravi Kiran Packaging, TCPL Packaging, Berry Global, Amcor, Uflex, Mondi, Sagar Flexible, Huhtamaki, Smarter Packaging, Glenroy, Dow Chemical, Shree Ganesh Packaging
Buy Now & Get Exclusive Discount on this Report: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/checkout?step=2&report_id=21314¤cy=one_user-USD
Where the opportunity lies
For entrepreneurs, converters and packaging buyers, the principal opportunities are clear:
- Mono-material and recyclable film solutions. Packages engineered for mechanical recycling or chemical recycling position brands to meet regulatory targets and retailer-sustainability goals.
- Value-added functional films. Active and modified-atmosphere barrier layers, antibacterial coatings for ready-to-eat foods, and resealable zippers bring product differentiation and justify premium pricing.
- Localization of supply chains. Onshoring film capacity and lamination facilities reduces lead times and exposure to international currency swings — a strategy already being pursued by major Indian film manufacturers.
- E-commerce-ready formats. Durable mailers, void-fill alternatives and tamper-evident pouches tuned for online retail are a high-growth niche.
Outlook
Most credible market reports project double-digit growth for India’s flexible packaging over the next 5–10 years, although the exact CAGR varies by source and methodology. The interplay of urbanisation, changing diets, faster retail distribution chains and sustainability pressures suggests the sector will not only expand in size, but also undergo meaningful structural change — with sustainability and recyclability becoming defining competitive battlegrounds.
Browse Related Reports:
Pharmaceutical Plastics Bottles Market
Wooden Plywood Packaging Market
Share on Social Media
Other Industry News
Ready to start publishing
Sign Up today!
