North America Trash Bags Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, And Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

North America Trash Bags Market - Growth, Trends, Covid-19 Impact, And Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The North American trash bags market is expected to record a CAGR of 8.26% during the forecast period (2022-2027). The plastics industry in Canada has committed to producing only plastic bags that are fully recyclable and recoverable and aims to achieve this by 2030. This move is expected to drive innovations in the market studied. In the United States, plastic trash bags witness significant demand from the residential sector.

• To reduce reliance on traditional plastics, industry trends are shifting toward bio-based goods. Compostable bags such as polylactic acid (PLA) bags and starch bags are frequently used as alternatives to conventional, oil-derived plastics. The BS N13432 standard certifies bio-based bags derived from natural resources.
• In November 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the United States’ first “national recycling strategy,” which targeted to support the organization’s goal of achieving a 50% recycling rate by the end of the decade. The same month, President Biden of the United States signed an infrastructure bill, which included USD 350 million for solid waste and recycling grants.
• The spot US export prices for low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) blow molding, and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) hit new multi-year highs in March 2021. According to S&P Global Platts, spot US export LDPE was USD 110/mt higher in March 2021. It was the highest LDPE pricing in over 12 years. Two major factors contributed to these high prices, i.e., reduced local supply and a lack of viable import options.
• 2020 and 2021 observed a significant shift in the buyers’ purchasing behavior in the market. The major demand generator of the market is currently the residential sector. The market has observed major trends, like the reusability of materials and biodegradability. Further, COVID-19 created major opportunities for the market.

• The increasing rate of urbanization across the region is driving the growth of the trash bag market. The residential, commercial, and industrial sectors generate a tremendous amount of waste. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the degree of urbanization, i.e., the percentage of the urban population in the total population, was 82.8% in the United States in 2020.
• Odors are one of the most prevalent consumer complaints regarding trash bags, majorly in residential areas. Bags with scent or odor-neutralizing features have been preferred over the last decade. According to Home Depot, a United States-based multinational home improvement retail corporation, the aforementioned types of trash bags currently make up more than half of all 13-gallon trash bags. Trash bags described as smelling like fresh laundry are the best sellers in this category. Scented bags are used in households with litter boxes or diapers or where trash remains for days before being taken out.
• While the sales of small garbage bags jumped after policies that banned plastic bags were implemented, the sales of larger 13-gallon trash bags – the size often found in kitchen trash cans – remained relatively unchanged. This further underscored the double life of plastic grocery bags. Carryout grocery bags were substituted for similar sizes of trash bags before the implementation of these regulations. After the regulations were enacted, the consumers’ demand for plastic bags switched from regulated to unregulated ones.
• The unintended increase in trash bag sales could also be measured by weight. For 4-gallon trash bags, plastic consumption increased between 30 and 135 lbs. per store per month. The sales of 8-gallon trash bags created an additional 37 to 224 lbs. of plastic per store per month.
• Consumers are now purchasing trash bags in various colors, ranging from soft pastels to something bolder and brighter. The current trends are the determining factor in the availability of specialty hues. Among scented bags, vanilla, cinnamon, and spring flowers are commonly purchased for the kitchen or the bathroom. The addition of colors and scents has transformed consumer trash bags from everyday necessities to decorative commodities.
• Private consumers are more cautious and willing to pay more for bio-based products. As far as the industrial sector is concerned, there is pressure on pricing, as they cannot charge higher prices. However, if bio-based bags are legalized in the near future, industries will have to use them.

• US cities and states are taking strides toward a zero-waste policy. Around 11 states in the country have passed bans on single-use plastic bags, seven states have passed bans on expanded polystyrene containers, and more cities are considering bans on other single-use food wares and packaging.
• About 30% of the food in American grocery stores is thrown away. US retail stores generate about 16 billion pounds of food waste annually. Wasted food from the retail sector is valued at nearly twice the amount of profit from food sales (source: US Department of Agriculture). Such a large amount of food waste is expected to add demand for trash bags to handle this large amount of food waste daily.
• At the time of COVID-19, government authorities across the region were regulating new policies to increase households' safety. For instance, in March 2020, the City of Kingston increased the number of garbage bags allowed per household from one to four per week without requiring bag tags. This limit was effective immediately and was put in place until May 2020. This measure was put into place to help families who were self-isolating to dispose of their garbage safely.
• Furthermore, due to the covid scenario, in Portland, the city picked up more garbage in 2020 than any other year on record: 3,000 metric ton, 50% more than the previous year. There were 24 billion pieces of the litter alongside highways, and 26 billion pieces of litter along waterways in 2020, according to data compiled by the nonprofit litter prevention group.

North American trash bags market is fragmented, as the firm concentration ratio is considerably high, as several players are present in the market, with market incumbents, such as Berry Global Inc., Reynolds Consumer Products Inc., and The Clorox Company, among others, operating in the market making it highly oligopolistic. In addition, some local players are also making the market competitive and fragmented. Overall, the competitive rivalry is expected to be moderately high, which may remain the same during the forecast period. Some of the key development news are -

• August 2021 - Reynolds Consumer Products announced the expansion of its Hefty EnergyBag program to encompass Fulton, Gwinnett, Cherokee, and Forsyth counties in the Greater Atlanta area. In 2018, the initiative was launched in Cobb County, Georgia, for the first time. As a result of this expansion, the Hefty EnergyBag program is now available to almost 1.4 million families in the United States across all active programs.
• January 2021 - Glad Products Company converted to 100% renewable electricity across its North American operations and announced that 99% of its packaging is now recyclable.

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