Freedonia Focus Reports

US Collection

Plastic Film: United States

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December 2012

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Highlights
Industry Overview
Market Size and Trends | Resin Segmentation | Market Segmentation
Packaging Industry Overview | Regulatory and Environmental Considerations
Technological Developments

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Demand Forecasts
Market Environment | Resin Forecasts | Market Forecasts

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Resources

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Industry Structure
Industry Composition | Industry Leaders | Additional Companies Cited
www.freedoniafocus.com

Plastic Film: United States

ABOUT THIS REPORT

Scope and Method

This report forecasts US plastic film demand in pounds. Plastic film is generally defined
as having a thickness of 12 mils and below. Total demand is segmented by resin in
terms of:

linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)

high density polyethylene (HDPE)
low density polyethylene (LDPE)
polypropylene
other resins such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene
terephthalate (PET).

Total demand is also provided in terms of market by:

food packaging
nonfood packaging
secondary packaging
nonpackaging.

Total demand and the various segments are sized at five-year intervals for historical
years 2006 and 2011 with a forecast to 2016. Forecasts emanate from the identification
and analysis of pertinent statistical relationships and other historical trends/events as
well as their expected progression/impact over the forecast period. Changes in
quantities between reported years of a given total or segment are typically provided in
terms of five-year compound annual growth rates (CAGRs). For the sake of brevity,
forecasts are generally stated in smoothed CAGR-based descriptions to the forecast
year, such as demand is projected to rise 3.2% annually through 2016. The result of
any particular year over that period, however, may exhibit volatility and depart from a
smoothed, long-term trend, as historical data typically illustrate.
Key macroeconomic indicators are also provided at five-year intervals with CAGRs for
the years corresponding to other reported figures. Other various topics, including
profiles of pertinent leading suppliers, are covered in this report. A full outline of report
items by page is available in the Table of Contents.

Sources
Plastic Film: United States is based on Plastic Film, a comprehensive industry study
published by The Freedonia Group in December 2012. Reported findings represent the
synthesis of data from various primary, secondary, macroeconomic, and demographic
sources including:

2012 by The Freedonia Group, Inc.

Plastic Film: United States

firms participating in the industry

government/public agencies
national, regional, and international non-governmental organizations
trade associations and their publications
the business and trade press
The Freedonia Group Consensus Forecasts dated August 2012
the findings of other industry studies by The Freedonia Group.

Specific sources and additional resources are listed in the Resources section of this
publication for reference and to facilitate further research.

Industry Codes
The topic of this report is related to the following industry codes:
NAICS/SCIAN 2007
North American Industry Classification System
326111
326112
326113

SIC
Standard Industry Codes

Plastics Bag and Pouch Manufacturing 2671

Plastics Packaging Film and Sheet
(including Laminated) Manufacturing
2673
Unlaminated Plastics Film and Sheet
3081
(except Packaging) Manufacturing

Packaging Paper and Plastics Film,

Coated and Laminated
Plastics, Foil, and Coated Paper Bags
Unsupported Plastics Film and Sheet

Copyright and Licensing

The full report is protected by copyright laws of the United States of America and
international treaties. The entire contents of the publication are copyrighted by The
Freedonia Group, Inc.

2012 by The Freedonia Group, Inc.

Plastic Film: United States

Table of Contents
Section

Page

Highlights....................................................................................................................................................... 1
Industry Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 2
Market Size & Trends .............................................................................................................................. 2
Chart 1 | United States: Plastic Film Demand Trends, 2001-2011..................................................... 2
Resin Segmentation................................................................................................................................. 3
Chart 2 | United States: Plastic Film Demand by Resin, 2011 ........................................................... 3
Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE)......................................................................................... 3
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). ................................................................................................... 4
Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE). ..................................................................................................... 4
Polypropylene. .................................................................................................................................... 4
Other Resins. ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Market Segmentation ............................................................................................................................... 6
Chart 3 | United States: Plastic Film Demand by Market, 2011 ......................................................... 6
Food Packaging. ................................................................................................................................. 6
Nonfood Packaging. ........................................................................................................................... 7
Secondary Packaging. ........................................................................................................................ 7
Nonpackaging. .................................................................................................................................... 8
Packaging Industry Overview .................................................................................................................. 9
Regulatory & Environmental Considerations ......................................................................................... 10
Technological Developments ................................................................................................................. 11
Demand Forecasts ...................................................................................................................................... 12
Market Environment ............................................................................................................................... 12
Table 1 | United States: Key Indicators for Plastic Film Demand (billion 2005 dollars) ................... 12
Resin Forecasts ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Table 2 | United States: Plastic Film Demand by Resin (million pounds) ........................................ 13
Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE)....................................................................................... 13
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). ................................................................................................. 13
Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE). ................................................................................................... 14
Polypropylene. .................................................................................................................................. 14
Other Resins. .................................................................................................................................... 14
Market Forecasts ................................................................................................................................... 16
Table 3 | United States: Plastic Film Demand by Market (million pounds) ...................................... 16
Food Packaging. ............................................................................................................................... 16
Nonfood Packaging. ......................................................................................................................... 17
Secondary Packaging. ...................................................................................................................... 17
Nonpackaging. .................................................................................................................................. 17
Industry Structure ........................................................................................................................................ 18
Industry Composition ............................................................................................................................. 18
Industry Leaders .................................................................................................................................... 19
Bemis Company Incorporated .......................................................................................................... 19
Sigma Plastics Group ....................................................................................................................... 20
Berry Plastics Group Incorporated ................................................................................................... 21
Additional Companies Cited................................................................................................................... 22
Resources ................................................................................................................................................... 23
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2012 by The Freedonia Group, Inc.