Stretch film, also known as cling film, has excellent tensile strength, tear resistance, and puncture resistance, which is why it is widely used for packaging and bundling in industries like chemicals, ceramics, electromechanical equipment, and electronics. Stretch film has super strong wrapping force and shrinkability, allowing products to be tightly and securely bundled together, combining small loose items into a whole, ensuring that products do not loosen or separate even in adverse conditions. Stretch film can form a protective outer layer around products, providing very good primary protection and achieving purposes like dustproofing, waterproofing, moisture-proofing, and oil resistance.
According to industry analysts from Shangpu Consulting, using stretch film to package products can significantly reduce costs. Its packaging cost is only about half of cardboard boxes, about 35% of heat shrink film, and about 15% of wooden crates. In addition, stretch film packaging can reduce labor intensity for workers, improve packaging quality and efficiency, and is expected to become the mainstay of China's packaging market in the future.
China's stretch packaging industry started in the late 1980s and saw rapid development in the 1990s. Currently, the annual total demand for stretch film in China reaches around 60,000 tons, with 40% being imported. The domestic production of stretch film is over 30,000 tons per year, with only 9 large production lines, while the rest are small-scale lines. Overall, the stretch packaging industry in China is still in its early stages. Although the market in the eastern coastal regions has initially taken shape, the western market still has much to develop, with huge potential for growth.
China is a major country in agriculture and animal husbandry, with huge demand for forage. Due to seasonal factors, winter storage of forage has become increasingly critical. Using stretch film to wrap forage can greatly improve silage quality. In Europe, 20% of forage silage uses this method, and in Sweden, the proportion is as high as 40%. In Europe and the U.S., the annual growth rate of demand for stretch film in forage silage reaches 15%, showing huge market potential.
According to the "2011-2016 China Industrial Stretch Film Market Analysis and Investment Value Research Report" by Shangpu Consulting, global demand for stretch film is increasing year by year, with an annual growth rate of about 6-7%, while Southeast Asia sees growth of around 15%. More and more manufacturers in Southeast Asia are looking for suppliers in China, indicating that the Chinese stretch film market has huge development potential and a very promising future.
