E-commerce to fuel aper packaging market growth in MEA

The share of paper packaging in the estimated $74bn overall packaging market in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) continues to see exponential growth with the e-commerce boom and consumer preference veers to sustainable and environment-friendly solutions. 

Industry experts participating at the upcoming leading B2B exhibition, Propaper 2023, said that in line with this demand growth, investments in kraft paper mills have also risen in the region in the post-Covid era, with enhanced use of paper packaging across industry verticals such as food, catering hygiene, pharma and cosmetics driving up demand.

 Propaper Dubai 2023 will host a large contingent of global paper and packaging companies which are at the vanguard of innovation.

 The show which also incorporates Super Sourcing Dubai under the auspices of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), will run during September 12-14 at Dubai at the Festival Arena at Dubai Festival City. It will witness participation from Egyptian, Indian and Chinese companies. 

“E-commerce continues to be on an upsurge in the GCC and larger MEA markets, and this has in turn catalysed the demand for packaging solutions across the board. The overall e-commerce market in the region may surpass $25bn within the next couple of years, and this will obviously fuel the need for paper packaging solutions, and the paper industry with its sustainable and alternative propositions stands to gain,” said Majid Rasheed – Managing Director of the UAE’s Star Paper Mill Paper Industry.

 Quoting a Data Bridge Market Research report, Propaper 2023 spokespeople said that the kraft paper market will continue to gain market share. According to the forecast for 2020-2028, the kraft paper market will grow at a CAGR of 3.8% in the UAE alone to over $54m.