Japan’s plastic packaging sector sales topped US$13.8 billion on a total production shipment volume of 3,510,000 tons in FY2013-14, according to a report from Singapore-based publisher EP Resources entitled Plastics Packaging Market Data Analysis: Japan.
This represented a 1.3% increase year-on-year in volume production of 45,000 tons, and a 2.3% increase year-on-year in the value of plastic packaging shipments into the market of ¥37.9 billion (US$0.31 billion).
In the context of the entire Japanese plastics industry’s total production volume of 10,580,000 tons of plastic materials (thermoplastic resins), the packaging sector accounted for more than 3,512,000 tons, or approximately 33% of overall production.
On a ton-per-ton basis, plastic has demonstrated that it is a considerably cheaper packaging medium than other materials in the packaging sector, averaging ¥21,110 per ton shipped.
This compares with the largest material segment, paper, which averaged ¥49,916 per ton; plastics represents the highest value-add performer across the entire packaging sector.
