The global biodegradable packaging market has been divided based on product type, end-use industry and region. Considering the product type, the market is bifurcated into plastics and paper where the plastics held the largest market share followed by paper which is expected to grow at the fastest rate. Plastics are further segmented into cellulose, starch, PHA, and PLA among others whereas the paper is segmented into Kraft, flexible, corrugated, and box board. Among the various segments of the plastics, it is the starch and PLA that is expected to hold the largest market share. It is because of properties such as high strength and recyclability held by the starch polymers that have led to the starch and PLA holding a larger share of the overall market in the forecast period of 2018-2026.

Considering the end-use industry segment, the market for biodegradable packaging is divided into food & beverages, healthcare, and personal care/homecare among others. Among these industry segments, it is the food & beverages industry that held a higher market share in the biodegradable packaging market. The growing government regulations in terms of food packaging that is non-biodegradable and hampers the environment has resulted in higher usage of degradable or biodegradable packaging for food & beverages industry.