No single process is used to make plastics packaging materials. Instead packaging forms the most important market for several plastics processes especially film extrusion, sheet extrusion and blow moulding. Indeed packaging is significantly the largest end use market for thermoplastics in Western Europe and one which has shown robust volume growth throughout the history of the industry; this despite the widespread progress of polymer and process technologies directed at the reduction of film thickness (“downgauging”) and package weights generally. Consumption of polymers for use in plastics packaging reached almost 16 million tonnes in 2000, equivalent to more than half of the total market for thermoplastics in Western Europe. Plastics packaging can be classified into several groups

•  Primary packaging for the final product, in the form of bags, pouches, bottles or other containers.
• Secondary packaging for the primary packaged product, in the form of shrink or stretch films, bottle crates and transit containers. 
• Retail packaging in supermarkets and other outlets, in the form of bags on the reel, wicketed bags, check out bags and shoppers. 
• Consumer packaging, in the form of freezer bags and cling films. 

There are thousands of plastics processors in Europe supplying the packaging market and AMI produces a wide range of directories that describe their activities. AMI is at the forefront of monitoring developments in packaging. We offer a range of services including customized market research, multi-client studies, industry guides and databases – to suit all requirements. With immense experience in both rigid and flexible packaging, AMI is one of the leading consultancies for the plastics packaging market.