Market Overview

Lightweight plastic container market size (based on the domestic shipment volume) was 776,250 tons in 2016 (101.0% on Y-o-Y), 785,750 tons in 2017 (101.2% on Y-o-Y). Expansion of the ready-to-eat food market has increased the use of plastic containers for food including bento lunch boxes and delicatessen. Such a tendency is likely to continue in 2018, for the market size is expected to reach 796,550 tons, 101.4% of the size of the previous year.

In recent years, as food recipes using a microwave oven have increased, new demand for lightweight plastic containers has been generated. In addition, expanding use of the containers with an inner plate included, the volume of resins used per container has been on the rise.

Noteworthy Topics

BOPS Containers

In recent years, container makers had been replacing BOPS with PET including APET (amorphous PET) and OPET (oriented PET) when making their containers, which led the BOPS market to be on the fall. However, such a replacement has been somewhat over by 2018, and as the materials for lids for heat-resistant containers have shown stable demand, the declining tendency of the market is likely to be limited.

Future Outlook

The lightweight plastic containers market size based on the domestic shipment volume in 2019 is projected to increase to 805,450 tons, 101.1% of the size of the previous year. There has been many attempts at convenience stores to provide chilled bento lunch boxes, noodles, soups and even hot salads that emerged in 2018, that can be warmed by a microwave oven, and at supermarkets which enhanced their sales floors for ready-to-eat meals to be heated also by a microwave oven, making them delicious just as they were freshly made.


The development of such ready-to-eat meals is likely to continue, which is sure to help expand the market of lightweight plastic containers.

Research Outline