Market Worth Billions
Synthetic wine corks, spray pumps, caps for deodorant rollers, caps for tubes, and other closures are typically only small parts, but are altogether a noticeable growth market: More than 200 billion plastic closures were sold throughout Europe in the past year, 60 billion more than at the start of the decade. Ceresana Research expects to see continuous growth at an average rate of 2.3 percent per year until 2017. Revenue from plastic closures in Europe will consequently increase from 1.7 billion Euro to more than 2 billion Euro per year.
Manufacturers of caps and closures, as well as producers of the corresponding machines and suppliers of plastics and additives will primarily profit from an increased use of plastic packaging for foods and drinks. Polypropylene and polyethylene are being used increasingly for closures. Significant growth can especially be seen in certain sub-segments of the beverage sector, such as beer, yogurt, milk products, and sports drinks.

Regional Differences
Production and consumption of plastic caps and closures is seeing the strongest growth in Russia, Poland, and Turkey. Manufacturers in Eastern Europe are investing above all in mass production of standardized products, such as screw-caps for PET bottles. In contrast, producers in Western Europe are concentrating, for example, on complex closures systems with seals and built-in dosing devices for medications. Optical characteristics, such as transparency and gloss, especially play an important role in packaging for cosmetics.

Detailed Overview
The multi-client Market Study: Plastic Caps and Closures analyzes on 1,100 pages the plastic closure market in 31 European countries – and gives prognoses until 2017. Production, consumption, imports, exports, and revenue are investigated in detail. In addition to a producer directory with 379 profiles of closure manufacturers, the report offers a comprehensive insight into market dynamics, innovations, and trends. The study also presents concise information on the most important varieties of closure types: advantages, application possibilities, legal situations, disposal, and recycling.

The market report on plastic closures is available in English or German from Ceresana Research: www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/industry/plastic-caps/