The consumption of flexible food packaging in Europe has increased over 10% in the past four years to more than 4 mn t, from 3.6 mn t, according to German market research firm Schönwald Consulting (Erlangen; www.schoenwald-consulting.com).

The group’s latest report, Flexible Food Packaging in Europe 2022, says more than half of demand comes from confectionery goods, convenience and fresh products, and dry foods, followed by meat products, pet food, and snacks, among others. The study evaluates 2022 consumption according to 11 market segments.

Related: Flexibles market to grow 4.9% by 2030

Flexible packaging uses a variety of substrates, including plastic films, paper, and aluminium foils, either individually or in combination. In the study, film composites for flexible packaging are divided into those based on PET, OPP, polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene, paper, and flexible aluminium.

OPP-based films still make up the largest film composite. Paper-based solutions have grown more than 50% over the past four years and now rank second in consumption. Despite the increased use of mono-material solutions, the share of multi-material composites in the flexible food packaging sector was 42.1% in 2022.