The growth of e-commerce and changing consumer preferences for sustainable and eco-friendly products are driving an exponential increase in the share of paper packaging in the Middle East and Africa's estimated $74 billion packaging market.
Industry experts attending the next major B2B show, Propaper 2023, claim that the rising usage of paper packaging in many industry verticals, such as food, catering hygiene, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, has raised demand for kraft paper mills in the post-Covid era.
A significant number of internationally recognized paper and packaging firms that are leading the way in innovation will be present at Propaper Dubai 2023.
The Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO)-sponsored event, which also features Super Sourcing Dubai, will take place at Dubai's Festival Arena from September 12–14 at Dubai Festival City.
In the GCC and other major MEA markets, e-commerce is still growing, which has increased demand for packaging solutions in general. According to Majid Rasheed, managing director of the UAE's Star Paper Mill Paper Industry, "the overall e-commerce market in the region may surpass U$25 billion within the next couple of years, and this will obviously fuel the need for paper packaging solutions. The paper industry stands to gain with its sustainable and alternative propositions."
Propaper 2023 representatives cited a Data Bridge Market Research analysis when they predicted that the kraft paper market will keep growing. The kraft paper market in the United Arab Emirates alone is expected to develop at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% to reach approximately $54 million by 2028.
Paper players in the MEA countries, particularly in the GCC, where internet penetration is greatest globally and supports online shopping, stand to benefit from the boom in paper food packaging that occurred during and after the epidemic. According to Omar Ali Abdullah Al Hosni, chairman of Keryas Paper Industry in Oman, "the opportunity size has also grown with verticals like pharma, personal care, and cosmetics taking to paper packaging solutions in a big way riding the e-commerce boom."