Market Insights
“The water-soluble films market value was US$440.3 million in 2024 and is likely to grow at a robust CAGR of 6.4% in the long run to reach US$723.2 million in 2032.”
Market Dynamics
Water-soluble films (WSF), primarily made from biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol, are innovative packaging materials that completely dissolve in water without leaving harmful residues. Known for their tensile strength, transparency, and resistance to oils and solvents, these films are widely used in unit-dose packaging for detergents, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and food applications, where they improve safety by minimizing direct human contact with hazardous materials.
By providing unit-dose packaging, eliminating direct contact with chemicals, and ensuring precise usage, water-soluble films combine sustainability with functionality, making them a popular alternative to conventional plastics.
Recent Developments:
A considerable number of strategic alliances, etc., have been performed over the past few years:
- In December 2023, Ecopol S.p.A. made a strategic investment in JRF Technology LLC to strengthen its R&D capabilities and advance sustainable water-soluble polymer and edible film technologies.
Segment Analysis
|
Segmentations
|
List of Sub-Segments
|
Segments with High-Growth Opportunity
|
|
Type Analysis
|
Hot and Cold
|
Cold water-soluble films are projected to experience the highest growth in water water-soluble films market in the forecast period due to their widespread adoption across industries.
|
|
Application Type Analysis
|
Detergent Packaging, Agrochemical Packaging, Water Treatment, Chemical Packaging, Dye Packaging, Food Packaging, Laundry Bags, Embroidery, and Pharmaceutical
|
Detergent packaging is projected to experience the highest growth in the water-soluble films market because of the rapidly rising demand for unit-dose detergent pods.
|
|
Region Analysis
|
North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and The Rest of the World
|
Asia-Pacific currently dominates the water-soluble films market because of abundant raw material availability.
|
By Type
“Due to their ease of dissolution and usage across various industries, cold water-soluble films are expected to witness the highest growth in the forecasted period.”
Based on technology type, the water-soluble films market has been classified into cold and hot. Unlike hot water-soluble films, cold water-soluble films dissolve quickly at room temperature, offering greater convenience and efficiency for packaging single-use doses of products like pesticides, fertilizers, and detergents. Additionally, the growing demand for eco-friendly and sustainable packaging solutions is boosting their acceptance, as they reduce plastic waste and improve handling safety by minimizing direct human contact with chemicals. This combination of operational convenience, safety, and sustainability positions cold water-soluble films as the fastest-growing segment in the market
By Application Type
“The detergent industry operates at a massive scale globally, ensuring high-volume consumption of water-soluble films, making it a more dominant application compared to other applications.”
The market is segmented into detergent packaging, agrochemical packaging, water treatment, chemical packaging, dye packaging, food packaging, laundry bags, embroidery, and pharmaceutical packaging. The growing use of unit-dose packaging formats, such as detergent pods, capsules, and pouches, has significantly reshaped the laundry and dishwashing markets. These formats depend extensively on water-soluble films due to their convenience, hygiene, and safety benefits, offering accurate dosing, minimizing product wastage, and preventing direct exposure to concentrated chemicals
Regional Analysis
“North America is projected to experience the highest growth in the water-soluble films market during the forecast period due to rising regulatory push.”
Currently, the Asia-Pacific region dominates the water-soluble films market due to its strong presence of end-use industries coupled with large-scale usage in agrochemical packaging in countries like China and India. The region also benefits from cost-effective manufacturing with abundant raw materials and labour, alongside rising demand for packaged goods and detergents driven by a growing middle-class population. In contrast, North America is projected to witness the highest growth in the future, primarily due to stringent environmental regulations promoting sustainable packaging, increasing adoption in pharmaceuticals and healthcare for unit-dose packaging, and strong consumer preference for eco-friendly and convenient solutions. Additionally, significant investments in R&D and the rising popularity of single-dose detergent packaging are expected to accelerate market expansion in the region.
Key Players
The market is moderately fragmented, with over 250 players. Most of the major players compete in some of the governing factors, including price, service offerings, and regional presence etc. The following are the key players in the water-soluble films market.
Here is the list of the Top Players (Based on Dominance)
- Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation
- SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD.
- KURARAY CO., LTD.
- AICELLO CORPORATION
- Ecopol S.p.A.
- Arrow GreenTech Ltd.
- Cortec Corporation
- Changzhou Greencrodeland Macromolecule Materials
- Jiangmen Proudly Water-soluble Plastic Co., Ltd.
- AMC Ltd
- Noble Industries
Note: The above list does not necessarily include all the top players in the market.
Are you the leading player in this market? We would love to include your name. Please write to us at [email protected]
Report Features
This report provides market intelligence most comprehensively. The report structure has been kept so that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into market dynamics and will enable strategic decision-making for existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:
- Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.
- Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter’s five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.
- Market trend and forecast analysis.
- Market segment trend and forecast.
- Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, Service portfolio, New Product Launches, etc.
- COVID-19 impact and its recovery curve
- Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.
- Emerging trends.
- Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.
- Key success factors.
The global water-soluble films market is segmented into the following categories.
Water Soluble Films Market, by Type
- Cold (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
- Hot (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
Water Soluble Films Market, by Application Type
- Detergent Packaging (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
- Agrochemical Packaging (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
- Water Treatment (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
- Chemical Packaging (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
- Dye Packaging (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
- Food Packaging (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
- Laundry Bags (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
- Embroidery (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
- Pharmaceutical (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
Water Soluble Films Market by Region
- North America (Country Analysis: The USA, Canada, and Mexico)
- Europe (Country Analysis: Germany, France, The UK, Russia, and the Rest of Europe)
- Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: Japan, China, India, and Rest of Asia-Pacific)
- Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Others)
Research Methodology
- This strategic assessment report from Stratview Research provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today’s water-soluble films market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period
- The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner in order to provide a panoramic view of the market.
- The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for market participants and investors in identifying the low-hanging fruit available in the market and formulating growth strategies to expedite their growth process.
- This report offers high-quality insights and is the outcome of a detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders, and validation and triangulation with Stratview Research’s internal database and statistical tools.
- More than 1,000 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact books, press releases, journals, investor presentations, white papers, patents, and articles, have been leveraged to gather the data.
- We conducted more than 15 detailed primary interviews with market players across the value chain in all four regions and industry experts to obtain both qualitative and quantitative insights.
Customization Options
With this detailed report, Stratview Research offers one of the following free customization options to our respected clients:
Company Profiling
- Detailed profiling of additional market players (up to three players)
- SWOT analysis of key players (up to three players)
Competitive Benchmarking
- Benchmarking of key players on the following parameters: Service portfolio, geographical reach, regional presence, and strategic alliances
Custom Research: Stratview Research offers custom research services across sectors. In case of any custom research requirement related to market assessment, competitive benchmarking, sourcing and procurement, target screening, and others, please send your inquiry to [email protected]
