Eastern Europe

While HDPE bottles and folding cartons remained the two biggest pack types in Polish beauty and personal care packaging in unit volume terms in 2022, squeezable plastic tubes was third biggest and was also continuing to record rising unit volumes in…

After seeing a growth spike in 2021, facial care product packaging continued to see strong growth in 2022. This can be attributed to the increasing beauty consciousness among consumers, evolving preferences for personalised skin care routines, the…

Glass bottles continued to be the dominant pack type in the Polish alcoholic drinks market in 2022, continuing to fight off the stiff competition from metal beverage cans. This is because the reputation of glass bottles is very high in Poland. Glass…

As Romanian consumers have more financial resources available, they are willing to explore and invest in higher-quality and more sophisticated alcoholic drinks. Consequently, this places pressure on producers to make sure the packaging of their…

In 2022, dried baby food was only offered in three pack types: flexible aluminium/plastic, flexible plastic and folding cartons. However, flexible aluminium/plastic was the dominant packaging format in this category, as it is easy to open, reseal and…

Flexible plastic remained the dominant pack type in confectionery packaging in 2022. Flexible plastic continues to be chosen by manufacturers since it provides an excellent barrier against external contamination, such as dust, moisture or sunlight,…

After dairy packaging unit volumes grew at their fastest rate in almost a decade in 2020, with COVID-19 the main driver of this, with slightly above-average growth also being seen in 2021, sales continued to increase in 2022. Cheese, one of the main…

Flexible plastic remained the dominant pack type in soup in 2022, helped by its strong usage in dry soup, the biggest category, although folding cartons are also widely used in dry soup. Flexible plastic packaging comes in a variety of shapes and…

In recent years, there has been a marked shift in the range of products available on store shelves in Poland, with plant-based milks now available in almost every shop, offering a wide selection. Similarly, once hard to find, plant-based yoghurts and…

Due to their robustness and long shelf life, metal food cans remain the dominant pack type in shelf stable fruit and vegetables, in which shelf stable vegetables account for the bulk of demand. However, alternatives to metal food cans, including…

Metal food cans continue to be the main packaging format used in both shelf stable meat and shelf stable seafood in Poland. Canned seafood, particularly fish, is a low-acid meal ingredient or solution that rapidly promotes the growth of microbes if…

There was a sharp acceleration in the rate of growth in demand for sauces, dips and condiments packaging during 2020, as consumers spent more time at home and prepared and ate more meals and snacks there. This continued in 2021, with the COVID-19 and…

Glass jars is the dominant pack type in jams and preserves, which remains the main sweet spreads category – but thin wall plastic containers are growing in popularity as a cheaper alternative, with this latter pack type again recording double-digit…

In 2022, packaging in Poland was becoming increasingly influenced again by pre-pandemic lifestyles and practices. For example, sugar confectionery experienced a significant shift towards smaller packaging options. The more compact sizes helped to…

In 2022, Romania’s packaging industry witnessed dynamic shifts influenced by economic challenges and consumer preferences. Larger pack sizes became the preferred choice across a variety of categories, offering consumers economic advantages amid…

Coffee is the most popular hot drink in Romania, with coffee packaging thus dominating overall sales in the hot drinks industry. This results in the dominance of flexible aluminium/plastic, due to the popularity of vacuum-packed coffee bricks. Most…

The continued trend of bulk buying, even post-pandemic, coupled with a preference for online shopping, has led consumers to opt for larger quantities of bottled water, prioritising cost-effectiveness and stockpiling. Multipack offerings can help…

Flexible packaging is the favoured choice in hot drinks packaging in Poland, boasting the highest retail unit volume sales, especially in categories like tea and coffee. Among flexible packaging options, flexible plastic is the most popular pack…

The PET bottle is the dominant pack type in Polish soft drinks, in the retail channel in particular. PET bottles are seen as a convenient option for many soft drink products, such as carbonates and bottled water, as they come in various pack sizes,…

Although metal aerosol cans continue to be the leading pack type in spray/aerosol insecticides in Poland, HDPE bottles have been gaining share in recent years and were recording particularly strong growth in 2023. This is due to the increasing…