Report

The North America Corrugated Board Packaging Market size is estimated at USD 42 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 49.53 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 3.35% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The market size reflects the value of the consumption of corrugated board packaging in North America.

Corrugated board packaging is a flexible and economical way to safeguard and transport various goods. Due to its qualities, such as its light weight, biodegradability, and ability to be recycled, corrugated board is a crucial part of the packaging business. According to the Shopify report, in 2021, North America contributed USD 552.6 billion, standing next to Asia at USD 831.7 billion in total e-commerce sales. In recent years, e-commerce has emerged as a prominent player. Amazon and other well-known e-commerce companies have been employing corrugated board boxes as their primary packaging, with plastic packing for particular items. Various e-commerce companies have been working on substituting corrugated boxes and paper bags for single-use plastics, which is projected to fuel market expansion.

The demand for convenience foods is on the rise due to the busy lifestyle of people. As corrugated board packaging keeps moisture from the products and withstands long shipping times, companies are increasingly adopting it to offer customers better outcomes, especially secondary or tertiary packaging. Processed foods, such as bread, meat products, and other perishable items, need these packaging materials. Thus, all the abovementioned factors are expected to drive the demand for the market studied.

The reliable, durable, easily transportable corrugated boxes have existed for over a century. However, with longevity comes challenges. Corrugated cardboard, sometimes called corrugated fiberboard, is made from cellulose fibers - virgin or recycled from used corrugated cardboard or other materials. However, strict forest laws against deforestation are restraining the market's growth due to the low availability of cellulose fibers. According to the Global Forest Watch, in 2021, the United States and Canada were among the most significant areas of primary forest losses of 2,043.92 Kha and 2,524.99 Kha, respectively. This factor is expected to raise concerns regarding the availability of raw materials (Kraft paper) in the region.

Some primary market drivers that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic are increased food packaging and an increasing need for corrugated board packages in burgeoning e-commerce shipments. Packaging for groceries, healthcare supplies, and e-commerce shipments witnessed a substantial surge in demand on e-commerce platforms.

North America Corrugated Board Packaging Market Trends

Strong Demand from the E-commerce Sector

The e-commerce industry has emerged as a prominent industry over the past decade. Prominent e-commerce companies like Amazon are using corrugated board boxes for secondary packaging. The demand for corrugated boxes is expected to increase with e-commerce packaging due to the high-quality graphics capabilities and strength of white-top and other higher-value paperboard grades. They are available in standard boxes and can be customized. The customization is not limited to the size but includes flaps and printing. Corrugated box supports inkjet and laser printing, which gained popularity in the e-commerce and subscription e-commerce sectors.

Increased demand for packing boards for online sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic promoted the corrugated paperboard packaging industry's growth. The importance of online retail sales to the modern economy is highlighted by Amazon's latest Prime Day. Amazon and other merchants' shipping boxes reflect e-commerce, and they are one of the most important factors boosting the demand for corrugated packaging in the United States and Canada.

The e-commerce companies have been focusing on replacing single-use plastics with corrugated boxes and paper bags. This created various opportunities for paper and paperboard packaging vendors. In its frustration-free packaging program, Amazon mentioned that due to the easy customization of corrugated board packaging, the company achieved the right-sized packaging for products, reducing the overall logistics cost. Lighter materials help lower greenhouse gases.

E-commerce is expected to become a substantial and high-growth opportunity for the corrugated board packaging market in 2023, according to the Future of Corrugated Packaging. Despite the economic slowdown, which generally affected e-commerce package/retail sales, e-commerce retail sales have continued to rise, providing significant potential for corrugated packaging suppliers.

The increasing demand for corrugated packaging in e-commerce and increasing raw material prices fueled the need to recover and recycle old corrugated containers (OCC). For instance, according to the American Forests and Paper Association, in 2021, more than 35 million tons of old corrugated containers (OCC) were recovered for recycling in the United States, an increase of roughly 13 million tons compared to 2001.

United States Holds a Major Market Share

The United States is anticipated to lead the North American corrugated box market because of its sizable population, which generates a sizable client base for the corrugated box industry in the area. The United States is one of the major regions in North America that is showing signs of a growing paper market due to the initiatives taken by the government for environmental safety. The demand for paper is growing due to the changing preference of people for biodegradable and sustainable packaging materials.

According to the US Department of Commerce, couriers and messengers in the United States produced over USD 137.9 billion in operational revenue in 2021, up from USD 117.3 billion in 2020. UPS is the largest courier and delivery service provider in the United States, accounting for over 37% of the market, followed by FedEx with 33%. These figures show that corrugated boxes are in high demand in the United States.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in 2021, the United States consumed over 65.6 million metric tons of paper and paperboard. This represents an increase of more than 3% compared to 2020. Just behind China is the United States, the second-largest user of paper and paperboard globally.

Therefore, although paper and paperboard consumption dipped from the end of 2019 till the end of 2020, the market has rebounded since last year due to the adverse effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase is due to the robust demand from the corrugated packaging industry.

Cardboard box exports from the United States are also steadily increasing. According to International Paper, one of the country's top suppliers of containerboard and corrugated cardboard 2021, the United States exported corrugated packaging totaling 416 billion sq. ft. Corrugated box shipments from the United States are anticipated to reach 560 billion sq. ft during the forecast period.

North America Corrugated Board Packaging Industry Overview

The North American corrugated board packaging market is moderately fragmented, with major players such as International Paper Company, Packaging Corporation of America, Cascades Inc., and others. Local vendors are facing growing competition in the market. Buyers have a wide variety of corrugated board suppliers from which to choose. Companies are continuing to innovate in terms of flaps and opening kinds. Smurfit Kappa and Sealed Air are attempting to replace single-use plastics with boxes.

In July 2022, Georgia-Pacific announced that the corrugated plant in Bradford, Pennsylvania, would undergo a significant upgrade with an investment of USD 34 million.

In June 2022, Mondi PLC sold Nitto Denko Corporation's Personal Care Components business (PCC) for an enterprise value of EUR 615 million (~USD 670.41 million). With this sale, Mondi can streamline its holdings and focus on expanding its sustainable packaging business.

In March 2022, Mondi accelerated its long-term expansion goals by investing EUR 280 million (~USD 305.23 million) in corrugated packaging. Corrugated Solutions invested EUR 185 million (~USD 201.67 million) across its plant network and EUR 95 million (~USD 103.55 million) at the Mondi Swieciecontainerboard mill to increase total production and warehousing capacity and modernize automation and internal material processes to serve clients with shorter lead times better.

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