Report

Mexico Plastic Packaging Market Analysis

The Mexico plastic packaging market size in 2026 is estimated at USD 9.09 billion, growing from 2025 value of USD 8.68 billion with 2031 projections showing USD 11.45 billion, growing at 4.73% CAGR over 2026-2031. Lower-cost U.S. resin imports, a fast-growing packaged-food sector, and e-commerce expansion are reinforcing demand across rigid and flexible formats. Converter investments in multilayer barrier films and recycling plants are strengthening the local value chain, while state-level single-use bans spark rapid development of recyclable mono-material structures. Currency volatility remains a cost risk because 43% of resin consumed is still imported, yet the USMCA framework continues to facilitate the duty-free flow of key polymers. Competitive intensity stays moderately high as multinational packaging leaders vie with regional specialists for contracts tied to the Mexico plastic packaging market, creating fertile ground for consolidation and technology transfer.

Mexico Plastic Packaging Market Trends and Insights



Access to Cheapest U.S. Plastic Imports Drives Cost Advantage

Mexico captured 41% of U.S. propylene and olefin polymer exports in 2023, securing a steady inflow of competitively priced HDPE, LDPE, and PP that lowers input costs for domestic converters. The USMCA's duty-free provisions sustain this flow, encouraging global FMCG brands to award long-term supply contracts to Mexican packagers. Northern clusters such as Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas report double-digit capacity additions as companies invest in co-located extrusion and molding lines to leverage feedstock proximity. Converter UFlex allocated USD 90 million to its Monterrey hub for high-barrier film and bottle production, citing resin availability as a prime driver. The cost edge is expected to persist through 2028 unless U.S. tariff policy changes dampen trade volumes.

Rising Packaged-Food and Industrial Output Fuels Demand

Mexico's processed-food sales climbed 8.1% year-on-year in 2024, with dairy, snacks, and ready-to-eat meals posting the largest volume gains. Domestic processors add modern aseptic lines to serve both local and export markets, driving uptake of barrier rigid containers and multilayer pouches that extend shelf life. Industrial manufacturers in electronics and auto components also scale up, increasing demand for stretch films and returnable rigid totes. The combined volume uplift underpins sustained resin off-take, reinforcing a positive outlook for the Mexico plastic packaging market through 2030.

Consumer Shift Toward Sustainable Formats Pressures Traditional Plastics

Urban shoppers increasingly equate "eco-friendly" with fiber-based solutions, convincing quick-service restaurants and personal-care brands to pilot paper or compostable packs in flagship stores. Local converters lacking certified compostable lines face order erosion, while those investing in bio-based or recyclable polymers capture switching demand. Brands still demand barrier and shelf-life performance, opening a window for high-barrier mono-material PP or EVOH-coated PE solutions that meet recycling criteria.

Other drivers and restraints analyzed in the detailed report include:

Near-shoring Accelerates Manufacturing Capacity InvestmentsE-commerce Growth Transforms Packaging RequirementsState-Level Plastic Bans Create Regulatory Fragmentation

For complete list of drivers and restraints, kindly check the Table Of Contents.

Segment Analysis

Rigid containers accounted for a 55.62% Mexico plastic packaging market share in 2025, anchored by PET bottles for beverages and HDPE jugs for household chemicals. Despite sturdy growth in this domain, flexible packaging is racing ahead at a 5.95% CAGR as converters perfect high-barrier films that protect shelf-stable sauces, infant nutrition, and powdered beverages. Flexible's lighter weight enables logistics savings that resonate with e-commerce retailers, while digital printing unlocks SKU agility for regional flavor variants. In response, rigid players retrofit PET lines with tethered-cap technology and lightweighting molds that slash resin usage by up to 7%, preserving share in soft drinks and dairy.

Flexible films continue displacing two-piece rigid packs in personal care, facilitated by stand-up pouch formats with spouts that mirror bottle dispensing convenience. Multilayer PE/PET laminates once hindered recycling, yet mono-material PE structures with EVOH barriers now match oxygen-transmission specifications, improving end-of-life outcomes. Converters such as Zubex added co-extrusion lines capable of nine-layer blown film to service this need, reinforcing the ascendancy of the flexible segment in the Mexico plastic packaging market.

Polyethylene variants represented 35.78% of the Mexico plastic packaging market size in 2025, primarily across food wrap, carrier bags, and blow-molded containers. Ready availability from U.S. Gulf Coast crackers cements PE's cost competitiveness. Yet EVOH and other barrier polymers are expanding at a 6.41% CAGR, riding export-oriented food processors' need for extended shelf life. Multilayer cast films integrate micro-layers of EVOH between PP or PE skins, achieving sub-3 cc/m� oxygen transmission rates. This leap in functionality entices meat exporters targeting a 60-day chilled-chain window to the United States. PET retains a stronghold in the beverage industry due to an 86% collection rate and rPET feedstock integration, further elevating its sustainability profile.

The Mexico plastic packaging industry is also piloting bio-based HDPE derived from sugarcane ethanol, though price premiums confine adoption to niche personal-care SKUs. Polystyrene's market share shrinks in single-use serviceware amid municipal bans, while PVC's utility endures in industrial containers requiring chemical resistance. Material substitution trends thus revolve around balancing performance, cost, and recyclability for each application.

The Mexico Plastic Packaging Market Report is Segmented by Packaging Type (Rigid Plastic, and Flexible Plastic), Material (Polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE, LLDPE), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and More), End-User Industry (Food, Beverage, and More), Pack Format (Bottles and Jars, Caps, Closures and Dispensing Systems, and More). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).

List of Companies Covered in this Report:

Amcor plc ALPLA-Werke Alwin Lehner GmbH & Co KG Envases Universales de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. Mondi plc Sonoco Products Company Winpak Ltd. Transcontinental Inc. AptarGroup Inc. Flexitek de Mexico S.A. de C.V. Cintex Envases Flexibles S.A. de C.V. Plasticos Especializados de Monterrey S.A. de C.V. PetStar S.A.P.I. de C.V. Alpek S.A.B. de C.V. UFlex Limited Mauser Packaging Solutions Holding Company Greif, Inc. Plastipak Holdings, Inc. Grupo Gondi, S.A. de C.V. Clondalkin Group Holdings B.V.

Additional Benefits:

The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
3 months of analyst support