BOPP film market slows in western Europe

The market for biaxially oriented PP film in western Europe is set to slow down, according to a new report from PCI Films Consulting.

West European BOPP film demand has grown by an average of 5% per annum in the last five years to reach an estimated 791,000 tonnes now. But the growth rate is expected to slow to less than 3% per annum over the next five years, according to PCI’s forecast.

In contrast, China’s BOPP market has been growing at an average of 14% per annum since 2000 and now accounts for almost one-third of the world’s consumption of BOPP film. There has been massive investment in BOPP film production capacity in China to meet this demand.

The report’s author Simon King said: “Chinese film buyers seem to be showing little interest in buying other [non-Chinese] producers’ products, even the specialities, and Chinese film suppliers are so focused on meeting their domestic market needs, they have little interest in exports.