Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBC)

Global Market Outlook on Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers (FIBC)

• In 2023, the global FIBC market is expected to be valued at about $4.5 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4–5 percent from 2023 to 2027

• Recycled bulk bags, innovative dispensing trends, and FIBC carriers are new trends adopted by suppliers to increase the market share

Global Market Size: FIBCs

• Currently, FIBCs are a small segment of the flexible bulk packaging market, due to the wide acceptance of shipping sacks and film wraps as the traditional packaging materials. The growing adoption levels in the developing regions of APAC will help in increasing their demand in the next 3–5 years.

Market Outlook of Flexible Bulk Packaging*

• The global flexible bulk packaging demand is forecasted to be $39.3 billion in 2023, growing at 3–4 percent until 2027

• Flexible bulk packaging is expected to contribute to 55 percent of the global bulk packaging demand in 2023 and grow faster than rigid bulk packaging

• This growth will be led by the growth of films and FIBCs, which are expected to grow at 8–9 percent and 6–7 percent, respectively, from 2023 to 2027

Major Drivers

• Ease of transportation over rigid bulk packaging fuels the growth of flexible bulk packaging. They are also efficient, in terms of convenience and reuse, thereby, slowly replacing rigid bulk containers, such as drums

• Use of film wraps during transportation on pallets to bundle items are expected to remain as the major trend in the logistics industry

Global Trade Dynamics – FIBCs

• FIBC export, import trade traffic has been stable, growing marginally at 1–2 percent compared to last year. The major importing region was North America and few countries in Western Europe contributing to more than 30 percent of the imports. The labor-intensive FIBC manufacturing process has led to buyers opting for low-cost labor countries, like China, India, and Malaysia, for their FIBC requirements, making Asia, the best sourcing location and the largest exporter.

North America

• Demand has almost doubled in the US for imports, while the export traffic has been steady. However, the trade tensions between the US and China can impact this significantly in the long term.

Europe

• The UK, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland have increased import traffic from China for FIBC requirements. The UK is the major importer comprising 6 percent of the European FIBC import.

Asia

• China contributes to 32 percent of the global export traffic, followed by India, which contributes to 7 percent. Imports in South East Asian countries have been increasing for the past few years.

LATAM

• Mexico was the largest importer in 2021 contributing to about 6 percent of the overall imports. High import duties in Brazil have reduced Brazilian imports.

Industry Drivers and Constraints : FIBCs

Drivers

• Advantages over Other Bulk Packaging Material: FIBCs are cost effective, efficient for load handling, easy to handle, and resistant to chemicals. Hence, they are rapidly replacing other forms of bulk packaging like paper based products. It also reduces the overall weight thereby reducing cost of transportation

• End-use Industries: Apart from demand from the food and beverage industry, which is set to grow significantly in APAC, other major end-use segments, like chemicals, pharmaceutical, construction, metals & mining, etc., are increasingly switching over to FIBCs, due to benefits, like low cost and more convenient handling

Constraints

• Volatile Raw Material Prices: The major raw materials that are used in producing FIBCs are PP and PE, whose prices are highly volatile, which contribute to ~35–40 percent of the FIBC cost. Any escalation in crude oil prices will directly affect the price model of the FIBC as all the polymers are petroleum based

• Labor Intensive Process: Labor cost contributes to 45–50 percent of the total FIBC cost, which discourages bulk packaging manufacturers in developed regions with high labor costs to enter the FIBC segment. This has led to high dependence on APAC region for the demand of FIBC. However, the increasing adoption of FIBCs in India, China, and Southeast Asia has resulted in lower export quantities from APAC region, which can affect the price dynamics of buyers in developed regions