Packaging

The introduction of the excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Saudi Arabia, which came into force on 1 December 2019, has had a notable influence on beverage companies' packaging strategies, particularly evident in the sizes of packs utilised by…

The increasing popularity of the other metal pack type in the Saudi Arabian hot drinks market can be attributed to several factors. One significant driver is the increasing adoption of fresh ground coffee pods, boosted by the growing presence of…

Sustainability is becoming a key focus for both manufacturers and consumers in soft drinks in the United Arab Emirates. Recycled bottles and reduced waste are core topics within the industry. Following global trends, players have started to launch…

The launch of Davidoff’s new fresh ground coffee pods in 2023 featured thin wall plastic containers with aluminium lids as closures. The choice of aluminium lids was due to their excellent sealing properties, ensuring freshness and preserving the…

In the United Arab Emirates, the packaging landscape has been seeing notable developments in 2022 across various product categories. PET bottles have gained popularity in the dairy category due to their lightweight, durable and transparent nature,…

In 2022, PET bottles remained the preferred choice for cooking and table sauce packaging in Saudi Arabia due to their cost-effectiveness, durability, lightweight properties and affordability in production and transportation. In chocolate…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

The briefing examines how the pulp commodity performs globally and in the largest countries in terms of supply and production. The report also provides data and analysis on pulp price dynamics, as well as trends across key commodity-consuming…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

Thin wall plastic containers are the main pack type used in sweet spreads packaging and were also continuing to gain share in the overall category in 2022. This is because these containers are cost-effective to manufacture, making them an attractive…

Glass jars remained a major pack type in sauces, dips and condiments in 2022 for a number of reasons. Glass is an inert material that does not interact chemically with the product content, ensuring that the flavour and quality of the sauces, dips or…

Metal food cans continue to be the leading pack type in shelf stable meat and seafood packaging. Metal food cans are excellent at preserving the freshness and quality of processed meat and seafood. They provide an effective barrier against light,…

Processed fruit and vegetables packaging was back recording positive growth in its unit volumes in 2022. This followed a year in which demand had slipped into decline in 2021, perhaps due to the spike in the growth rate seen in 2020 due to the…

The vast majority of consumers typically consume dairy products, but as the health and wellness trend spreads across the country, a niche segment of the population has shown an increasing preference for plant-based foods. Hence, plant-based dairy has…

Flexible aluminium/plastic was the dominant pack type in dry soup, which, given it is the biggest category in overall meals and soups, was therefore the dominant meals and soups packaging format. Flexible aluminium/plastic was also growing in 2022,…

In 2022, PET bottles were gaining share in dairy products in the United Arab Emirates for a number of reasons. PET bottles are lightweight, which makes them cost-effective to transport. In the United Arab Emirates, where dairy products might need to…

After two years of declining sales, confectionery packaging recorded positive growth in its packaging unit volumes again in 2022. However, the growth was modest as rising awareness of the potential negative effects of consuming confectionery, such as…

With milk formula accounting for almost half of baby food packaging unit volumes, and metal tins the dominant pack type in milk formula, this packaging format therefore remains the leading one in overall baby food, given metal tins also has a…

Glass jars remained the dominant pack type in sweet spreads packaging in 2022. Glass provides excellent protection from the effects of the outside environment, including sunlight, ensuring the product remains unaffected and prolonging its shelf life.…

After the effects of the pandemic and subsequent restrictions started to ease in Saudi Arabia in 2021, retail unit volume sales of sauces, dips and condiments and associated packaging suffered as consumers spent less time cooking at home. However, in…

In 2022, retail unit volume sales of processed meat and seafood packaging in Saudi Arabia notably increased compared to the previous year’s flat performance, as local consumers resumed their regular, out-of-home lifestyles after the pandemic and…

After recording a decline in 2021, retail unit volumes of processed fruit and vegetables packaging returned to growth in 2022. The previous year’s decline was largely due to the normalisation in demand following a huge boom in 2020, when consumers…

Already starting to emerge as a trend in Saudi Arabia earlier in the review period, the pandemic heightened local consumers’ awareness of their health and wellbeing and encouraged them to review their dietary and nutritional requirements. Although…

Demand for ready meals in Saudi Arabia surged during the pandemic as foodservice closures and fears around food delivery drove home-cooking occasions; ready meals presented a more convenient alternative than cooking meals from scratch. Although the…

After a surge in demand for dairy products and associated packaging in 2020 due to pandemic-related home seclusion, retail unit volume sales somewhat normalised the following year as restrictions started to ease and local consumers began to spend…

Overall confectionery packaging retail unit volume sales in Saudi Arabia returned to growth in 2022, albeit marginal, following pandemic-induced declines due to lack of mobility outside of the home and limited demand for impulse purchases. The…

Since the pandemic, retail unit volumes of baby food packaging have consistently declined. During the pandemic, mothers – particularly working mothers – had greater time to spend at home looking after their children, and this left them with more time…

The majority of the local population in the United Arab Emirates abstains from the consumption of alcohol as per the tenets of Islam. As a result, apart from local consumption of non-alcoholic offerings, mostly non-alcoholic beer, the nation’s…

Since alcohol consumption is prohibited in Saudi Arabia under Sharia law, the alcoholic drinks packaging industry is entirely represented by non-alcoholic beverages, and non-alcoholic beer in particular. These malt-based beverages come in a variety…

Hair care, which is one of the biggest beauty and personal care categories in terms of packaging unit volume sales in the United Arab Emirates, continued to see relatively dynamic growth in 2022. This benefited the usage of HDPE bottles, the main…

The clean beauty trend has been taking over the beauty and personal care market in Saudi Arabia, just as it has done the world over. Consumers are increasingly seeking out cosmetics products that make use of all-natural ingredients, vegan formulas…

Rising urbanisation and the increased stability of the United Arab Emirates’ economy helped drive higher levels of purchasing power among local consumers in 2022. In addition, the possession rate for washing machines continued to rise in 2022. These…

The home care market in Saudi Arabia saw strong growth in 2020 given the home seclusion and heightened hygiene consciousness due to the pandemic. With nationwide lockdown, outdoor movement was restricted, and consumers spent most of their time at…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. In 2023, global inflation is expected to ease from its peak in 2022, but remaining significantly above-trend. Geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market are…

Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…

This report examines e-commerce usage and revenue share from e-commerce in different industries and countries. The e-commerce index helps to better understand which industries are leading and identify key success factors. The briefing also analysis…

The report examines key factors in supply chain risks in metals, energy and agricultural commodities. Production, market supply concentration and political risks analysis can help to better identify potential risks and prepare for potential…

There was a general trend in the United Arab Emirates of the arrival of COVID-19 and the consequent lockdowns forcing people to stay at home benefitting the consumption of sauces, dressings, and condiments in 2020, followed by an easing of COVID-19…

Although foodservice outlets were closed or only offering limited services when COVID-19 hit the United Arab Emirates in 2020, local consumers had more time on their hands due to lockdowns or home seclusion, enabling them to prepare meals themselves.…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…

The briefing examines how the forestry, wood and paper industry performs globally and in the largest countries in terms of forestry, wood and paper output. The report also provides data for production, market size, imports, exports, industry costs,…

This report analyses global production, consumption and prices of aluminium. While leading aluminium production giant, China, is struggling with looming energy crisis and disruptions in supply of raw materials, global production of aluminium is set…

As the trend to consume healthy food gained ground in 2020, consumers looked for easy-to-cook/-prepare and healthy dishes, which resulted in increasing consumption of salads. As a result, the packaging unit volumes of PET bottles in salad dressings…

In 2020, demand for ready-to-cook frozen products in ready meals increased as the country entered a national lockdown period in the first half of the year. At this point, many consumers entered home seclusion to protect themselves and others from the…

The energy industry recovered in 2021, given the rapidly increasing crude oil and natural gas prices, and lifting lockdown measures. Reopening global economies allowed for increasing mobility and industrial and commercial activities, stimulating…

Slower growth, surging inflation, rising geopolitical risks and an accelerating deglobalisation trend are factors shaping the global economic, financial and trade landscape in 2022 and beyond. Despite the challenges, there are opportunities for…

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has shown the vulnerability of the current supply chain model and had an extensive impact on the manufacturing industry’s global supply and transportation networks. Global supply chains are forecast to become more…