The beverage packaging industry in North America is expected to reach $26.3 billion in 2015, with plastic bottles leading the way in popularity, according to "Beverage Packaging - An Industry Assessment," scheduled for release this month by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. The study notes plastic continues to be the most widely used bottling material, accounting for over 40 percent of the market, and bottles, with approximately 55 percent of the market, are the most popular packaging format for beverages. Although they suffered from a drop in soft drink sales, aluminum cans are picking up steam as other beverage categories - such as energy drinks and micro-brews - are more than making up for the lost volume. Flexible pouches have experienced the slowest growth, but many respondents still anticipate increased adoption of flexible beverage packaging down the road. Key to that, the report says, would be products geared to consumers accustomed to beverages, such as juice, in pouches.
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