Environmental protection and smart technology have become core drivers of growth
When packaging materials extend from the basic function of "protecting goods" to multiple scenarios such as brand marketing, green carbon reduction, and intelligent traceability, the development of the industry has long bid farewell to "experience-driven" and entered a new stage of "data decision-making". This article integrates the financial report data of the National Bureau of Statistics, the China Packaging Federation, industry white papers and leading enterprises, etc., and uses a set of core data to disassemble the scale, structure and growth code of the packaging materials industry in 2025, providing practitioners with the most intuitive industry reference.
Market size:
The 3 trillion track is expanded, and the growth rate leads the manufacturing industry
In 2025, the market size of the domestic packaging materials industry is expected to reach 3.21 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.7%, maintaining a steady growth rate of more than 6% for five consecutive years, far exceeding the average growth rate of the manufacturing industry (4.2%).
Among the segments: food packaging accounted for the highest proportion (31.2%), and the market size exceeded 1 trillion yuan; logistics packaging grew the fastest, with a year-on-year increase of 12.3% to 680 billion yuan; Beauty packaging and electronic packaging followed with growth rates of 9.5% and 8.9% respectively.
The regional distribution presents a pattern of "Yangtze River Delta + Pearl River Delta dual core": the market in the Yangtze River Delta region accounts for 37.5% (Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai contribute the main increments), and the Pearl River Delta accounts for 29.8%, and the two regions together account for nearly 7% of the industry.
Eco-friendly materials:
The penetration rate increased by 15% year-on-year, and the two-wheel drive of policy + demand
The market size of degradable packaging materials continues to explode, expected to reach 186 billion yuan in 2025, an increase of 15.7% over 2024, of which PHA materials have the fastest growth rate (+23.1% year-on-year), gradually replacing traditional PLA materials as the mainstream.
The penetration rate of circular packaging in the field of e-commerce logistics has reached 32.8%, an increase of 14 percentage points over 2023; According to data from a leading e-commerce platform, the customer complaint rate of orders using circular packaging decreased by 27%, and the logistics cost of a single ticket decreased by 18%.
The policy side has made significant efforts: in 2025, the "plastic restriction order" will be upgraded in various places, and the ban rate of non-degradable plastic bags in supermarkets and catering scenarios will reach 91%, forcing enterprises to accelerate the replacement of environmentally friendly materials, and it is expected that the penetration rate of environmentally friendly packaging materials will exceed 40% in 2026.
Smart packaging:
The implementation of technology has accelerated, and the market size has exceeded 100 billion
The market size of smart packaging is expected to reach 112 billion yuan in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 19.4%, becoming a "new engine" for industry growth.
Among the subdivided technologies: RFID/NFC traceability packaging accounts for the highest proportion (42.3%), mainly used in the food and health care products industry; Temperature-sensitive/air-sensitive color-changing packaging grew the fastest (+28.6% year-on-year), and demand surged in the fields of fresh food and cold chain.
The layout of leading brands is positive: the utilization rate of intelligent packaging in the high-end liquor and beauty industries has reached 58%, and the counterfeit rate of a liquor company has dropped from 0.8% to 0.03% through blockchain + intelligent packaging; After fresh brands adopt intelligent fresh-keeping packaging, the product loss rate decreases by an average of 22%.
Material structure:
Lightweight + high performance has become the mainstream, and the trend of cost optimization is obvious
The penetration rate of lightweight materials continues to increase: "low gram weight + high strength" products account for 67% of corrugated packaging, an increase of 9 percentage points over 2024; The average thickness of plastic packaging has decreased by 23% compared with 3 years ago, and the packaging cost of a single product has decreased by 15%-20%.
The demand for high-performance composite materials has increased: the use rate of antibacterial, anti-fog and fresh-keeping integrated materials has reached 53% in the field of food packaging, and the proportion of anti-static and moisture-proof composite materials in the field of electronic packaging has exceeded 48%, and the premium space of such materials is 25%-30% higher than that of ordinary materials.
Cost structure changes: The production cost of biodegradable materials has decreased by 35% compared with 2022, of which the unit price of PLA materials has dropped to 18,000 yuan/ton, and the price difference with traditional PE materials has been narrowed to less than 30%, accelerating large-scale application.