Blister Packaging Market- Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast Segmented By Type (Carded and Clamshell), By Material (Plastics Films, Aluminium and Paper & Paperboard), By End-Use Sector (Healthcare, Food, Industrial Goods and Consumer Goods), By Technology (Thermoforming and Cold Forming) and By Region 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 31.12 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	7.61%
Fastest Growing Segment	Healthcare
Largest Market	North America
Market Size (2031)	USD 48.32 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Blister Packaging Market will grow from USD 31.12 Billion in 2025 to USD 48.32 Billion by 2031 at a 7.61% CAGR. Blister packaging is a pre-formed packaging solution that utilizes a thermoformed or cold-formed cavity sealed to a lidding material to primarily secure pharmaceuticals and small consumer items. The market is principally driven by the pharmaceutical sector's requirement for unit-dose formats which enhance patient adherence and ensure strict dosage accuracy. Additionally, the retail industry supports this growth by demanding tamper-evident features and high product visibility to maintain consumer trust and shelf appeal.

A significant challenge impeding broader market expansion is the difficulty of recycling complex multi-layer materials often used to provide necessary barrier protection. This issue is compounded by fluctuating raw material costs which create financial instability for manufacturers. Highlighting the economic relevance of the key end-use sector, according to the Flexible Packaging Association, in 2024, the medical and pharmaceutical segments accounted for a 14% market share of the United States flexible packaging industry sales.

Key Market Drivers

Rising demand for pharmaceutical unit-dose packaging is the primary force propelling the Global Blister Packaging Market, driven by the critical need for strict dosage accuracy and improved patient adherence. This packaging format is essential for protecting sensitive medication from environmental factors while offering consumer convenience, a requirement that has intensified alongside the massive financial expansion of the global healthcare sector. According to the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations, June 2024, in the 'The Pharmaceutical Industry in Figures - Key Data 2024' report, the world pharmaceutical market was valued at an estimated €1.29 trillion in 2023. To satisfy this colossal demand, major packaging converters are maintaining extensive operations to ensure supply chain stability. For instance, according to Amcor plc, August 2024, in the 'Fiscal 2024 Full Year Results' report, the company recorded net sales of $13.6 billion, reflecting the significant capital involvement required to support these global healthcare and consumer needs.

Simultaneously, the adoption of sustainable and biodegradable packaging materials is fundamentally altering manufacturing priorities. Stakeholders are rapidly shifting away from traditional multi-layer polyvinyl chloride and aluminum structures, which pose recycling challenges, toward mono-material solutions that offer comparable barrier protection with a reduced environmental impact. This transition is being actively commercialized by leading pharmaceutical companies seeking to meet circular economy goals. According to Bayer, October 2024, in the 'Bayer and Liveo Research Launch First-of-its-Kind Blister Packaging with Improved Environmental Footprint' press release, their newly developed polyethylene terephthalate blister packaging reduces the carbon footprint by 38% per unit compared to standard polyvinyl chloride options. Such innovations allow manufacturers to address stringent regulatory mandates for sustainability without compromising the tamper-evident safety features essential for medical products.

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Key Market Challenges

The fundamental challenge impeding the growth of the Global Blister Packaging Market is the technical difficulty of recycling complex multi-layer materials combined with the resulting economic instability. While these materials are necessary to provide the stringent barrier protection required for pharmaceuticals, their composite nature makes them incompatible with standard recycling streams. This incompatibility creates a significant barrier to market expansion as governments worldwide increasingly enforce rigorous waste reduction mandates and circular economy regulations. Consequently, manufacturers face the risk of regulatory penalties and reduced market access if they cannot align their high-performance packaging with these evolving environmental standards.

This issue is intensified by the financial volatility currently affecting the recycling infrastructure, which struggles to process such difficult materials cost-effectively. The lack of economic viability in recovering these complex plastics discourages investment in necessary processing capacities. According to Plastics Recyclers Europe, in 2023, the plastics recycling sector registered a turnover decrease of 12.5% driven by high production costs and deteriorating market demands. This contraction in the recycling industry directly hampers the blister packaging market by reducing the availability of sustainable end-of-life solutions, thereby perpetuating a cycle of waste that limits the sector's long-term development.

Key Market Trends

The Incorporation of Automation and AI in Blister Packaging Lines is rapidly transforming production capabilities to address labor shortages and the growing need for operational flexibility. Manufacturers are increasingly deploying robotic feeding systems and vision inspection tools to handle complex, small-batch requirements while maintaining high-speed efficiency. This technological shift allows companies to minimize human error and adapt quickly to varied packaging formats without extensive downtime, a necessity in a market facing diversifying product portfolios. Highlighting the scale of this investment, according to PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, March 2024, in the 'Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: The Future Ahead' report, pharmaceutical machinery shipments were valued at $1.1 billion, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 7.8% through 2027.

Simultaneously, the Increasing Implementation of Anti-Counterfeiting and Serialization Features is becoming critical as the distribution of falsified medicines expands through online channels. To combat this threat, stakeholders are integrating advanced track-and-trace solutions and tamper-evident designs that ensure supply chain integrity and verify product authenticity for end-users. These security measures are essential for protecting brand reputation and patient safety against sophisticated illicit networks, moving beyond basic barrier protection to active digital verification. Underscoring the severity of this issue, according to the Pharmaceutical Security Institute, April 2024, in the 'Pharma Crime Report' released in collaboration with BrandShield, the organizations identified and removed more than 6,900 fraudulent drug listings and over 1,600 rogue online pharmacies during 2023.

Segmental Insights

The Healthcare segment represents the fastest-growing category within the Global Blister Packaging Market, primarily driven by the increasing adoption of unit-dose formats to ensure patient compliance and safety. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are extensively utilizing this packaging to adhere to stringent mandates from regulatory bodies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which require child-resistant and tamper-evident designs. Additionally, blister packs provide critical barrier protection against humidity and oxygen, preserving the efficacy of sensitive drugs. This combination of regulatory pressure and the need for product integrity positions healthcare as the primary driver of market expansion.

Regional Insights

North America maintains a leading position in the global blister packaging market, driven primarily by a robust pharmaceutical sector and significant healthcare spending. This regional dominance is supported by stringent guidelines from the US Food and Drug Administration regarding product safety and unit-dose packaging. These regulatory requirements compel manufacturers to adopt blister formats that enhance medication adherence and reduce dispensing errors. Additionally, the continuous development of healthcare infrastructure in the United States fosters sustained demand for packaging solutions that prioritize product protection and patient safety.

Recent Developments

• In June 2025, Honeywell announced that Evertis had selected its Aclar barrier film technology for use in a new line of pharmaceutical packaging under the Evercare brand. This collaboration focuses on integrating high-moisture barrier films into polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging structures to create recyclable, high-performance blister solutions. The partnership aims to enhance drug stability and extend shelf life while supporting the pharmaceutical industry's transition toward materials that optimize manufacturing efficiency and align with global sustainability regulations. The initiative leverages advanced material science to balance environmental goals with critical patient safety requirements.
• In October 2024, Bayer and Liveo Research signed a collaboration agreement to launch a first-of-its-kind polyethylene terephthalate (PET) blister packaging for the consumer health market. This innovation replaces traditional polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and aluminum structures with a mono-material PET solution, significantly reducing the carbon footprint and water usage associated with packaging production. The new blister packs were designed to be lightweight and fully recyclable, initially rolling out for the Aleve brand in the Netherlands to meet sustainability targets without compromising the integrity or shelf life of the medication.
• In July 2024, Aluflexpack announced the development of the "4∞ Form," a revolutionary blister pack constructed entirely of lacquered aluminum. Designed specifically for the pharmaceutical industry, this single-material product offers an infinitely recyclable alternative to traditional multi-material blister packaging. The solution provides exceptional barrier properties against moisture, light, and oxygen, ensuring the protection of tablets and capsules while addressing environmental sustainability concerns by eliminating plastic components that typically complicate recycling processes. The product was engineered to run on existing lines while meeting strict regulatory requirements.
• In January 2024, TekniPlex Healthcare partnered with Alpek Polyester to introduce a pharmaceutical-grade blister film containing 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. Debuted at Pharmapack Paris, this film utilizes a specific chemical recycling technology to break down waste into monomers, creating a resin comparable to virgin plastic. The new blister film meets European and United States Pharmacopoeia standards and is designed to be fully recyclable in the polyester stream when paired with compatible lidding. This development enables pharmaceutical companies to incorporate recycled materials while maintaining stringent quality standards for product protection.

Key Market Players

• Amcor plc
• Constantia Flexibles GmbH
• Honeywell International Inc.
• WestRock Company
• Klöckner Pentaplast Group
• Sonoco Products Company
• Tekni-Plex, Inc.
• UFlex Limited
• DuPont de Nemours, Inc.
• Winpak Ltd.

By Type	By Material	By End-Use Sector	By Technology	By Region
Carded and Clamshell	Plastics Films Aluminium and Paper & Paperboard	Healthcare Food Industrial Goods and Consumer Goods	Thermoforming and Cold Forming	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Blister Packaging Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Blister Packaging Market, By Type:

• Carded and Clamshell

• Blister Packaging Market, By Material:

• Plastics Films
• Aluminium and Paper & Paperboard

• Blister Packaging Market, By End-Use Sector:

• Healthcare
• Food
• Industrial Goods and Consumer Goods

• Blister Packaging Market, By Technology:

• Thermoforming and Cold Forming

• Blister Packaging Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE