The Turkish plastic packaging sector, proving its resilience in 2025, will focus on sustainable and transformation-oriented growth in 2026. Despite fluctuations in domestic and foreign demand, the sector maintained its strong performance with increased efficiency and value-added products in exports.
Kağan YEŞİL
Bursa Plastic and Packaging Industrialists' Association
(BURPAS)
Chairman of the Board
The year 2025, which we are preparing to leave behind, was a challenging but instructive year for both the Turkish economy and the plastic packaging sector. We are leaving behind a period shaped by uncertainties in the global economy, fluctuations in energy prices, geopolitical tensions, and financial tightening policies in the domestic market. However, despite all these difficulties, the Turkish plastic packaging sector once again proved its resilience with its production capability, export strength, and agile structure.
Year of rebalancing and selective growth
The year 2025 can be described as a "year of rebalancing" for the Turkish economy. The downward trend in inflation, the strengthening of fiscal discipline, and the gradual reduction in the foreign trade deficit gave important signals towards stability in the general outlook. However, the contraction in domestic demand periodically suppressed industrial production and, consequently, packaging consumption.
In contrast, for export-oriented companies, 2025 was a period where the search for new markets and digital transformation investments aimed at increasing efficiency accelerated. Turkey's strong industrial base in its production infrastructure offered significant advantages to Turkish manufacturers, especially in the supply chain reorganizations experienced in the European market.
Sustainable growth, increased efficiency
The plastic packaging sector recorded real growth of approximately 4 percent in 2025, performing above the general industry average. Thanks to its structure serving strategic sectors such as food, hygiene, cosmetics, and chemicals, production capacity was largely maintained despite fluctuations in domestic demand.
The most prominent trend of the year was a noticeable increase in the use of recycled raw materials and an acceleration in R&D investments for sustainable packaging solutions. Our field analyses as BURPAS show that most of our member companies systematized their carbon footprint reduction and environmental reporting processes within 2025.
Furthermore, investments in digital production tracking systems, energy efficiency projects, and environmentally friendly packaging designs strengthened the sector's competitiveness in both the domestic and international markets. Especially within the scope of preparing for the obligations brought by the European Green Deal, our companies made significant progress in integrating sustainability criteria into their supply chains.
Diversity in exports and increase in added value
In 2025, while quantitative growth in plastic packaging exports remained limited, an increase on a unit price basis was noteworthy. This indicates that Turkish plastic packaging manufacturers are turning towards value-added products and that branding awareness has strengthened.
Turkish packaging manufacturers became preferred suppliers in markets such as the Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America, especially in the European Union, due to their quality and delivery reliability. As of 2025, Turkey's plastic packaging exports experienced an increase of nearly 5 percent, with approximately one-third of domestic market production being directed to exports.
In conclusion, despite all the fluctuations, 2025 once again demonstrated how resilient the Turkish plastic packaging industry is. In 2026, we will move beyond resilience and enter a period of smart growth and sustainable transformation.
As BURPAS, we will continue to work with our sector stakeholders to establish a production approach that adds value to both the environment and the economy on a permanent basis.
This content has been translated using artificial intelligence technology.