APAC cohesive packaging accelerates as sustainability rules tighten: report

Towards Packaging pegs the category at US$82.96b by 2034, up from US$43.37b in 2025.

Asia Pacific is expected to be one of the fastest-growing regions in the cohesive packaging market from 2026 to 2035, driven by sustainability requirements, e-commerce growth, and industrial expansion, according to a new industry report.

In its report, Towards Packaging stated that North America held the largest share of the global cohesive packaging market in 2025; however, growth momentum is shifting towards the Asia Pacific as demand accelerates across manufacturing and logistics hubs.

It linked the region’s outlook to the rising adoption of sustainable packaging, deeper e-commerce penetration, and rapid industrialisation, alongside increasing use of recyclable and paper-based cohesive materials as environmental standards tighten.

China was highlighted as a key driver within the region. The report said growth in China’s cohesive packaging market is being fuelled by the expansion of e-commerce and logistics networks, stronger sustainability regulation, and rising consumer awareness of eco-friendly materials.

It also pointed to greater automation and smart manufacturing as factors improving production efficiency and consistency.

Across Asia, demand is increasingly tied to e-commerce and direct-to-consumer shipping, where cohesive packaging is used to support right-sized parcels, reduce void fill and shipping costs, and improve security and tamper resistance.

These features are seen as particularly relevant as online retail volumes scale across the region.

The report identified paper-based cohesive packaging as the fastest-growing material segment globally between 2026 and 2035, with cohesive bags and mailers the fastest-growing product type.

E-commerce packaging and e-commerce or retail end-users were also flagged as the fastest-growing application segments, reinforcing Asia Pacific’s growth narrative.

Technology shifts cited in the report include wider use of adhesive-free bonding, high-performance stretch materials, biodegradable substrates, and more precise printing and coating technologies, which support customisation and functional performance at scale.

In global terms, the cohesive packaging market was estimated at US$43.37b in 2025 and is forecast to reach US$82.96b by 2034, representing a compound annual growth rate of about 6.7%, with Asia Pacific expected to contribute an increasing share of that growth.