What are the development status and trends of different food packaging paper industries?
Packing paper materials are ubiquitous in our lives. Whether it is a coffee takeaway cup, a large fast food bag, or the outer packaging of a snack, you will come into contact with different types of food-grade paper packaging.
What consumers consider a "packing paper" actually encompasses a host of process compliance considerations for brands and suppliers. Choosing the right packing paper is not only about product protection but also closely linked to brand image, cost control, and environmental responsibility.
As a provider of flexible packaging solutions, MTPAK is committed to helping food and beverage brands explore the potential of paper packaging in practical production and market applications, ensuring your products balance aesthetics, performance, and compliance. The following content will provide a detailed introduction to common packing paper materials and analyze the current status and trends in the industry to help you take your business to the next level. Let's get started.
What are the common packing paper materials in our daily life?
Kraft paper: the first choice for baking brands
Kraft paper is currently the most common food-grade packing paper. Made from pure plant fibers, it uses no harmful substances, such as plasticizers, during production, making it safer than plastic packaging. Its advantages lie not only in its durability and tear resistance, effectively protecting products from damage during transport, but also in its natural and environmentally friendly visual appearance, which aligns with sustainable development and allows for composting after degradation.
However, its shortcomings are also obvious. For example, single-layer paper cannot resist grease or moisture. Some bakeries have reported that simple Kraft paper bags are prone to oil stains, which can easily affect the consumer experience.
Therefore, the industry often uses composite materials with PLA films or PE layers to enhance moisture and oil resistance. However, this also brings challenges in recycling, as traditional recycling systems have difficulty processing composite materials.
Development Trends:In recent years, kraft paper production costs have risen due to fluctuations in international raw material prices and adjustments to waste paper recycling policies. Furthermore, with the growing adoption of sustainable development concepts, some small-scale manufacturers have gradually withdrawn from the market due to substandard environmental performance. These objective conditions pose challenges to the kraft paper industry, but also present important opportunities for companies to compete for the consumer market through technological upgrades or niche market positioning. Environmentally friendly products, intelligent production, and customized services are likely to become growth areas for the industry.
White cardboard: commonly used in high-end food packaging bags
Compared to kraft paper, white cardboard offers a stiffer, smoother surface, enabling high-quality printing. Cake boxes, tea tin linings, and chocolate gift boxes are often made of white cardboard, with pharmaceutical boxes accounting for a large market share, followed by cigarette and food packaging. This material not only supports processes like hot stamping and embossing, but also offers a stiffness that makes it suitable for structured packaging.
However, safety considerations are necessary when white cardboard comes into direct contact with food. FDA and EU regulations require that coatings and inks comply with food contact standards. This means brands must consider more than just aesthetics when selecting packing paper; they must also request compliance certificates and test reports from suppliers.
Development Trends: The white cardboard industry boasts a clear industrial chain structure, encompassing a complete chain from top to bottom: "raw material supply - production, processing, manufacturing - finished packaging paper output." Each link is closely connected and clearly defined. The industry also benefits from the long-term demand driven by the shift from paper to plastic, and has ample potential for long-term growth.
Laminated Paper: Focusing on Paper for the Fast Food Industry
Laminated paper is made by coating a base paper with a layer of PE or PP film to protect against moisture and grease. Food-grade laminated paper comes in either single-layer or double-layer versions. Food packaging generally uses a single-layer laminate, meaning it has an inner layer of film.
However, this type of material faces three challenges:
- Raw material issues: Coated paper cannot be used to package very heavy materials.
- Recycling issues: The PE film is difficult to separate from the paper fibers.
- Regulatory trends: The EU is tightening its legislation on single-use plastics, which may limit the use of PE-coated paper in the future.
Development Trend: With the introduction of relevant policies, food-grade coated paper is gradually shifting from non-degradable PE coatings to biodegradable coatings (such as PLA). Furthermore, the release of dioxin gases during the raw material procurement and papermaking processes indirectly causes environmental problems, hindering the growth of the paper packaging market.
At present, with Europe and Southeast Asia implementing a comprehensive ban on non-degradable disposable plastics, biodegradable food-grade laminated paper is more popular, and the market size of food-grade laminated paper in the Chinese market continues to rise, and is expected to reach 2.195 billion yuan in 2028. Food-grade laminated paper will have a huge consumer market in East China and South China.
Coated art paper: suitable for products with extremely high printing effect requirements
Coated art paper, also known as coated printing paper, originated in Britain in the mid-19th century. When it first appeared, it was primarily used for printing covers and illustrations for high-end books and periodicals, as well as for product packaging.
Available in single-sided or double-sided versions, with glossy or matte finishes, single-sided coated art paper is commonly used in food packaging for products requiring the most demanding printing results. For example, product introduction cards in high-end chocolate gift boxes or the printed surface of exquisite pastry boxes create vibrant colors and rich layers, elevating the product's quality.
Development Trends: The coated art paper industry is undergoing a period of transformation. Driven by environmental awareness, the digital revolution, and diversified market demands, it is exhibiting a trend toward greener, more digitalized, more advanced, and more customized products.
On the environmental front, stricter regulations are prompting companies to adopt green technologies and materials, such as water-based inks and recycled fibers, to reduce pollution and energy consumption, thereby aligning with sustainable development needs.
In the technological realm, the rise of digital printing is impacting traditional models, but coated art paper's advantages in high-end printing remain significant. Companies are leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence to upgrade production processes and explore emerging applications, such as electronic product decoration.
Conclusion
Packing paper requires a systematic approach that balances design, performance, and compliance. For brands and suppliers, understanding the characteristics of common packing paper materials, grasping the current state and trends of the industry, avoiding selection errors, and planning based on industry trends are key to better addressing sales challenges.
With rich experience and professional technology, MTPAK can provide you with one-stop services from material selection, packaging design, to mass production.
If you're interested in packing paper, such as how it can enhance your brand image, contact us to learn about our exclusive food packaging solutions and gain a competitive edge in the consumer market.
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