South Africa Paper Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

South Africa Paper Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The South Africa Paper Packaging Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.03% during the forecast period of 2021-2026. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the stoppage of production has led to a low market growth rate. In April 2020, Mondi, which engages in paper and packaging, announced the temporary suspension of production at its Merebank mill in South Africa. The mill, which has a production capacity of 270,000 metric ton a year, has been closed to remain in compliance with the government regulations and help fight the spread of COVID-19.

Key Highlights

• Food and beverages are the most significant components of South Africa’s manufacturing industry, with the government actively encouraging further development of agriculture and the agro-processing industry.
• South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry in the last three years, funded the food-processing sector, with ZAR 736 million in incentives, while its Enterprise Investment Programme (EIP) incentive disbursed funds of ZAR 636 million and facilitated investments of ZAR 3.7 billion in the sector.
• Further, in South Africa, there is an increased demand for premium packaging, mainly from the cosmetics and household segments. It is in these categories that consumers use the quality of the packaging as a basic indication of the quality of the product it contains.
• However, the cosmetics industry faces several challenges in South Africa due to the weakening economic conditions of the country. The country’s GDP growth has slowed down significantly. Also, high unemployment and less personal disposable income are certain factors creating challenges for the cosmetic industry. Hence, the flexible packaging related to the personal care market is expected to exhibit a slow growth rate.

Key Market TrendsFood Industry is expected to hold the highest market share

• South Africa is witnessing an increase in the demand for food and beverage packaging. According to the IMF, the GDP growth of the African region was more than 3.5% in 2020, which adds to the growth of the packaging industry, with increasing markets for consumer products, burgeoning individual incomes, a growing population of youthful consumers, and domestic economies.
• As paper board packaging keeps moisture away from products and withstands long shipping times, it is increasingly being adopted by brands to offer better outcomes to their customers, especially as a means to secondary or tertiary packaging. Processed foods, such as bread, cakes, and other perishable items, need these packaging materials to be used for just one time, thereby driving the demand.​
• The country is also witnessing foreign investors and hostile takeovers of growing packaging firms, For instance, recently, the Finland-based food packaging specialist Huhtamaki entered an agreement to acquire the majority of Everest Flexibles (Pty) Limited, a privately-owned flexible packaging manufacturer in South Africa. With the acquisition, Huhtamaki planned to expand its flexible packaging manufacturing footprint into South Africa, thereby, further strengthening its emerging market position. The business was acquired for an enterprise value of EUR 58 million.

Corrugated Boxes is expected to hold the highest market share

• The demand for corrugated boxes in the country is set to grow, but it is unlikely to grab a large share of the plastic packaging market without a highly focused effort. The increase in the cost of raw materials such as paper and Kraft liner will act as catalysts to the corrugated box industry growth in the region. Due to a shortage in Kraft paper, there will be an increased substitution for recycled materials. B-Flute, BC-Flute, and C Flute would facilitate growth in shipments by 2022.
• The eventual slowdown in the growth will occur due to rationalization and consumer-led demand for the right-sizing. In turn, the technical barriers and high investment costs are likely to prevent corrugated capturing any significant market share in the move away from single-use plastic, although the use of corrugated discs for pizzas as an alternative to plastic has proved that opportunities are available.
• Currently, there is still modest deflation for box pricing, while in the coming second quarter, the trend of increase in packaging demand is placing upward pressure on paper pricing in South Africa. This is providing support for corrugated box pricing.
• Digitisation of media and retail channels is creating a need and a chance for brands to engage with consumers in new ways. Meanwhile, rapid advances in the quality, agility, and value proposition of digital printing means that marketers can now look upon almost any packaging substrate as an agile communication medium.

Competitive Landscape

The South Africa Paper Packaging market is moderately competitive and consists of a significant number of global and regional players. These players account for a considerable share in the market and focus on expanding their client base across the globe. These players focus on the research and development activities, strategic alliances, and other organic & inorganic growth strategies to stay in the market landscape over the forecast period.

• May 2021 - Huhtamaki invested in additional fiber packaging capacity with a manufacturing unit in South Africa. The facility will begin its operations later this year and will serve the company’s existing and new egg packaging customers in the province.

Additional Benefits:

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

Companies Mentioned

Sappi
Nampak Ltd.
Neo
Pak
Mpact
Hadera Paper Ltd.
Detpak
AMIPACK
Smurfit Kappa
Kalideck South Africa
Huhtamaki
Amcor Flexibles

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