Europe Medical Devices Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Europe Medical Devices Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Europe Medical Devices Packaging was valued at USD 5.8 billion in 2019, and it is projected to reach USD 7.421 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period (2020 - 2025).The healthcare industry in Europe has evolved from its erstwhile traditional form of practice to the current position, where high-tech equipment and instruments are being deployed to improve efficiency.

Key Highlights

• These developments have been providing scope for the expansion of medical appliances and other medical instruments, thus driving the growth of the medical device segment of the market studied.
• With the trend of sterile devices in the region is expanding rapidly, the market is being driven by the increasing number of hospitals, therapeutic equipment manufacturers, and diagnostic centers. With changing end-user requirements and innovations in medical devices, manufacturers are required to address these changes through constant innovations in packaging designs.
• Due to the increasing demand for medical services in countries like the United Kingdom and Germany is expected to experience lucrative growth, as the medical device providers are focusing on the development of high value-added equipment with specialized packing needs. On the other hand, stringent government guidelines and booming healthcare sector are expected to trigger the growth of the market studied, in the region. Thus, medical device packaging is expected to account for a considerable market share, as government regulations monitor the security and protection of therapeutic equipment.
• Furthermore, the rising environmental concerns are expected to stimulate the solution providers to innovate and develop biodegradable packaging solutions for medical devices. For instance, the EU-funded HyperBioCoat project developed and tested new biodegradable hybrid organic-inorganic coatings for use in food, cosmetics and medical device packaging. The coating material based on biopolymers was extracted from lignocellulosic biomass by combining them with the material class of bioORMOCERs. The bioORMOCER coatings are bio-based, biodegradable coatings developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research. Such innovations are further expected to aid in the market growth.
• The healthcare sector has faced an unprecedented challenge due to the pandemic, and hence, is receiving immense support from global governments and other organizations, to expand and innovate their offering, to provide medical support to the huge number of patients. Also, sterilization is playing a vital role in preventing the transmission of the virus, due to which several prominent market players are persistently manufacturing sterile medical packaging, such as containers, pouches and wraps to protect products against unintended transmissions. This is expected to increase the demand for medical device packaging solutions.

Key Market TrendsPouch segment is expected to grow significantly in the forecast period

• Pouches are widely used containers for small- to medium-sized soft and semi-soft medical goods that are sold in unit quantities and are not vulnerable to damage during shipment and storage. Specific applications of pouches include intravenous (IV) catheters, IV administration sets, dialysis disconnect caps, wound dressings, small surgical instruments, diagnostic test packs, sutures, and dental supplies.​
• Many films are used in medical device packaging applications. These materials offer a high degree of versatility and are available in a variety of forms in mono films, laminations, and coextrusions. The specific material to be used for a medical device is dependent upon the performance properties required for the device application.
• Pouches have been manufactured from laminated paper with polyolefin layers. Uncoated nonwoven polyolefin materials for use in the manufacture of heat-sealable pouches are highly being used. Applications such as, the Sterilization method (e.g., the material must tolerate high temperature), Protection requirements (e.g., high puncture resistance) are some features that cater to demand.
• Further, selecting the appropriate pouch size prevents the overloading of instruments and allows penetration of the sterilant with adequate air removal and less chance of puncture or tearing. There should be a lesser of one inch of space between the top of the instruments and the seal of the pouch. Medical Kraft paper used in sterilization pouches has a basic weight of 40 to 60 pounds and contains only approved additives, which has controlled porosity and has no pinholes greater than 0.5 cubic meters.
• Furthermore, the latest development from Amcor allows for a simplified, faster, and more effective packaging solution for reusable medical devices. In April 2020, Amcor’s ULTRA pouches are now certified for vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilization as well as steam sterilization at 134°C. This means that ULTRA pouches can provide a one-stop solution for the sterilization of all reusable medical devices. The new accreditation provides the assurance that ULTRA pouches are compliant with the latest international and European EN 868 and ISO 11607 standards, including the Sterile Barrier System (SBS) requirement.

Plastic segment is expected to grow significantly in the forecast period

• Europe is one of the fastest-growing plastic packaging markets in the world. The region has large packaging companies, such as Amcor, Sealed Air Corporation, and Berry Global, which drive investments in innovation, research, and development activities.
• Plastic packaging has implemented new ways for the functioning of the packaging industry. Packaging solutions that are durable, lightweight, and comfortable have augmented the use of plastics as a packaging material across the region.​
• The demand for plastic packaging continues to rise in Europe even though serious concerns are being raised about its impact on the environment. However, the market also faces challenges due to the government regulations in Europe and increasing consumer demand that pushes manufacturers to look for plastic packaging solutions that are biodegradable or derived from sustainable sources and use that in medical device packaging.
• However, there are increasing concerns about hygiene and safety with the coronavirus pandemic, which could increase the use of plastic packaging solutions in Europe. There is an increase in demand for single-use packaging due to the rise in medical devices delivery further affecting the demand for polystyrene, polyethylene, and plastic packaging materials.​
• The price of LDPE packaging is currently low in the region, which means that there will be minimal impact on the sellers from the additional cost of using the material. The demand for surgical masks, which are made of materials, such as polypropylene, polyisoprene, and polyurethane, has also increased.

Competitive Landscape

The Europe medical devices packaging market is competitive and consists of several major players. In terms of market share, few of the major players currently dominate the market. These major players with prominent shares in the market are focusing on expanding their customer base across foreign countries. These companies are leveraging on strategic collaborative initiatives to increase their market share and increase their profitability. The companies operating in the market are also acquiring start-ups to strengthen their product capabilities.

• September 2020 - Nuvae Healthcare and Constantia Flexibles launched a fully recyclable flexible packaging solution, EcoLamPlus and it is one of Constantia Flexibles’ products in the monopolymer EcoLam packaging family based on PE. It is ideal to replace non-recyclable multipolymer structures where water vapor and oxygen barrier are needed, also it helps to sustain highly volatile products like alcohol. This makes EcoLamPlus a flexible packaging that is completely recyclable. Constantia Flexibles and Nuvae Healthcare cooperate closely to ensure the hand sanitizer remains efficient while the packaging remains recyclable.
• February 2020 - Amcor introduced the new, clear bottle in two sizes, 100 cubic centimeters and 150 cubic centimeters, for Ritual, a health meets technology company that reimagined the multivitamin. It had with Amcor Rigid Packaging to develop a packaging solution that would support its mission to find new use for existing materials and create a reusable, sustainable future.

Additional Benefits:

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

Companies Mentioned

IBM Corporation
Oracle Corporation
Internap Corporation
Packet Inc. (An Equinix Inc. Company)
Scaleway Inc.
Amazon Web Services Inc
Rackspace Inc.
CenturyLink, Inc.
LightEdge Solutions, Inc

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