Printing packaging industry players connect brand owners, converters, and packaging printers across North America and Europe. Demand is influenced by market growth (a 3.6% year-over-year rise in 2023 sector revenue), plus equipment and workflow decisions. We also examine how tighter energy economics—such as EU energy prices up 9.6% in 2022—intersect with circularity pressures from 3.5 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste in the EU. Along the way, you’ll see how digital adoption and connected production raise efficiency, yield, and traceability.
Key Takeaways
- $326.5 billion global flexible packaging market size in 2023, indicating the value of flexible packaging materials and products
- $4.6 billion value of the global corrugated boxes market in 2024, reflecting the segment’s market size
- $74.0 billion global packaging machinery market size in 2023, capturing demand for equipment used in packaging production
- 3.5 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste generated in the European Union in 2021, showing scale of packaging materials needing circular solutions
- 9.6% increase in energy prices in 2022 in the EU relative to 2021 contributing to higher printing and conversion costs
- In the U.S., industrial natural gas prices increased substantially in 2022 versus 2021, pushing up energy costs for energy-intensive manufacturers (relevant to printing inks, drying, and converting)
- U.S. industrial electricity prices for manufacturers rose in 2022 compared with 2021, contributing to higher operating costs across printing and packaging operations
- 2–5% typical improvement in yield when implementing closed-loop color control and inline spectrophotometer feedback
- 10% reduction in energy consumption possible from variable-speed drives on printing and converting motors in industrial pilots
- 15% average improvement in OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) after implementing condition monitoring for presses and converters
- 72% of printers plan to invest in digital printing equipment within 3 years, based on industry survey findings
- 37% of packaging converters use RFID or similar tracking for logistics and traceability in supply chains
- 66% of packaging companies report using color standards (ICC profiles or brand spot standards) in production workflows
- 38% of manufacturers report that they have implemented or are implementing a digital twin (applicable to press/converter process optimization)
- In the U.S., 85% of municipalities report offering recycling programs, shaping logistics and labeling requirements for packaging recycling streams
Flexible packaging demand stays steady as digital investment and automation drive lower scrap, energy use, and improved color control.
Related reading
01 · Category
Performance Metrics11 stats
01
2–5% typical improvement in yield when implementing closed-loop color control and inline spectrophotometer feedback
02
10% reduction in energy consumption possible from variable-speed drives on printing and converting motors in industrial pilots
03
15% average improvement in OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) after implementing condition monitoring for presses and converters
04
33% reduction in scrap rates reported in a study on machine vision-based inspection for printed products
05
25% decrease in rework associated with implementing barcode-based quality checks in packaging assembly lines
06
1.5–3.0% improvement in first-pass yield in flexographic and gravure printing after tightening ink viscosity and anilox calibration controls
07
0.5–1.0% absolute reduction in defect density after deploying inline inspection systems and automated reject control
08
75% reduction in time to locate production paperwork when using digital traceability systems instead of paper records
09
56% of companies report using computer vision for quality inspection (relevant to reducing defects in printed packaging via automated visual checking)
10
4.0% average reduction in overall defect rates reported by organizations after implementing machine vision-based quality control (median of multi-case results in vendor/industry summaries)
11
1–2% typical reduction in color-to-standard variation is achievable through spectrophotometer-based color management workflows (process capability improvement in print operations)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance Metrics show that targeted quality and automation upgrades in printing packaging consistently deliver measurable gains, with outcomes like up to a 33% scrap reduction and around 15% better OEE, alongside smaller but steady yield and efficiency improvements ranging from roughly 1.5–5% yield gains to a 10% energy cut.
02 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
$326.5 billion global flexible packaging market size in 2023, indicating the value of flexible packaging materials and products
02
$4.6 billion value of the global corrugated boxes market in 2024, reflecting the segment’s market size
03
$74.0 billion global packaging machinery market size in 2023, capturing demand for equipment used in packaging production
04
3.6% year-over-year increase in global packaging sector revenue in 2023 (up from 2022), reflecting steady demand across major packaging end markets
05
2.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) forecast for the global packaging market from 2024 to 2029
06
The global paper and paperboard packaging market is expected to reach about US$ 300 billion by 2028 (based on industry market forecasts), indicating continuing print-relevant volume
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Market size in the printing and packaging industry is expanding steadily, with global flexible packaging reaching $326.5 billion in 2023 and the overall packaging market forecast to grow at a 2.4% CAGR from 2024 to 2029, signaling sustained demand across major packaging segments.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
9.6% increase in energy prices in 2022 in the EU relative to 2021 contributing to higher printing and conversion costs
02
In the U.S., industrial natural gas prices increased substantially in 2022 versus 2021, pushing up energy costs for energy-intensive manufacturers (relevant to printing inks, drying, and converting)
03
U.S. industrial electricity prices for manufacturers rose in 2022 compared with 2021, contributing to higher operating costs across printing and packaging operations
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost pressures in the printing and packaging industry intensified in 2022, with EU energy prices up 9.6% versus 2021 and U.S. natural gas and industrial electricity prices also rising, directly lifting conversion and operating costs for energy-intensive production.
More related reading
04 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
72% of printers plan to invest in digital printing equipment within 3 years, based on industry survey findings
02
37% of packaging converters use RFID or similar tracking for logistics and traceability in supply chains
03
66% of packaging companies report using color standards (ICC profiles or brand spot standards) in production workflows
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is accelerating as 72% of printers plan digital printing investments within 3 years, while 37% of converters already use RFID tracking and 66% rely on color standards to strengthen modern packaging workflows.
05 · Category
Industry Trends1 stats
01
3.5 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste generated in the European Union in 2021, showing scale of packaging materials needing circular solutions
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In the industry trends shaping packaging, Europe generated 3.5 million tonnes of plastic packaging waste in 2021, underscoring the urgent scale of material challenges that must be addressed to drive more circular printing and packaging practices.
06 · Category
Industry Overview2 stats
01
38% of manufacturers report that they have implemented or are implementing a digital twin (applicable to press/converter process optimization)
02
In the U.S., 85% of municipalities report offering recycling programs, shaping logistics and labeling requirements for packaging recycling streams
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
In the industry overview for printing packaging, digital transformation is accelerating as 38% of manufacturers have already implemented or are implementing digital twins to optimize press and converter processes, while sustainability requirements are also reshaping operations since 85% of U.S. municipalities offer recycling programs that influence packaging logistics and labeling.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Printing Packaging Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/printing-packaging-industry-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Printing Packaging Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/printing-packaging-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Printing Packaging Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/printing-packaging-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)