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The Europe pharmaceutical packaging market attained a value of USD 28.62 Billion in 2025 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.70% through 2035. The market is further expected to reach USD 54.74 Billion by 2035. Rising demand for sustainable and recyclable packaging formats, stricter drug safety regulations, and growing biologics production are driving overall growth in the market, with smart packaging technologies and serialisation requirements reshaping how manufacturers approach primary and secondary drug containment.
The Europe pharmaceutical packaging market encompasses plastics, glass, paper, and aluminium materials shaped into bottles, bags, blister packs, and closures for oral, injectable, and topical drug delivery. Demand continues to be shaped by rising biologics production, stricter regulatory compliance, and growing consumer preference for sustainable formats, with plastics and polymers remaining the dominant material choice given their versatility and cost efficiency across the market.
Established packaging manufacturers are increasingly pursuing acquisitions to expand healthcare portfolios rather than growing organically, reflecting intensifying competition for scale advantages across the pharmaceutical packaging segment. In September 2026, Nolato agreed to acquire Dutch contract development and manufacturing organisation Unitron, strengthening its position as an end-to-end solutions partner for medical technology and pharmaceutical clients.
The Europe pharmaceutical packaging market is increasingly directing investment toward bio-based materials and smart packaging technologies rather than relying solely on conventional plastic formats, reflecting a strategic shift toward sustainability led differentiation as competition intensifies across primary and secondary containment categories. Companies are pursuing parallel investment across prefilled syringes, child resistant closures, and tamper evident formats rather than remaining narrowly focused on standard bottles, while strengthening regulatory compliance capabilities to meet serialisation requirements. Consolidation of this scale gives combined groups broader product portfolios while drawing renewed competitive pressure toward smaller independent European manufacturers.

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Sealed Air completed its acquisition by funds affiliated with CD and R in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately 10.3 billion dollars, with stockholders receiving 42.15 dollars per share. Taking established packaging companies private allows new ownership to pursue longer term innovation investment without the quarterly reporting pressures typically tied to public equity markets and shareholder expectations going forward.
Becton Dickinson announced a 110-million-dollar investment to expand its production of prefillable syringes, bringing new glass syringe manufacturing capacity online to accelerate biologic and GLP-1 drug delivery. Localising injectable device production close to major pharmaceutical markets lets manufacturers across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market strengthen supply chain resilience while meeting surging demand for advanced drug delivery formats across global markets, regions, and healthcare systems.
Gerresheimer announced plans to sell its moulded glass business, which produces packaging for the food and cosmetics sectors, to concentrate capital and research spending on pharmaceutical and biotech focused product lines. Divesting lower growth commodity segments lets specialised manufacturers across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market redirect investment toward higher margin, medically relevant packaging categories with stronger long term growth prospects across biologics and injectable drug formats.
Amcor completed its combination with Berry Global, forming a combined healthcare and consumer packaging group with significantly expanded pharmaceutical device and closure capabilities across global markets. Combining complementary packaging portfolios through major mergers lets companies across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market offer broader solutions to pharmaceutical clients without requiring separate supplier relationships across different container, closure, device, and dispensing types across international markets.
Established packaging manufacturers across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market are increasingly expanding specialised glass production capacity, rather than relying on general purpose container lines, to meet growing demand from biologics and injectable drug developers. This is helping manufacturers secure long term supply agreements with pharmaceutical clients. In December 2025, SCHOTT Pharma reported that its Drug Containment Solutions segment revenue grew 11.9 percent to 548 million euros for fiscal year 2025, driven by strong demand for sterile vials and cartridges across biologic drug categories.
Contract manufacturers across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market are increasingly expanding capacity dedicated to high value injectable drug packaging, rather than spreading investment across lower margin general purpose lines, to meet rising biologics demand. This is helping manufacturers secure longer term supply agreements with pharmaceutical clients seeking dependable injectable packaging capacity. In June 2025, Datwyler expanded its elastomer component production capacity at its facility in Belgium to support growing demand for prefillable syringe and cartridge components from biologics and GLP-1 drug manufacturers across Europe.
Established device manufacturers across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market are increasingly launching bio-based materials within existing dispensing platforms, rather than developing entirely new device architectures, to meet surging sustainability demand tied to pharmaceutical drug delivery. This is helping manufacturers avoid costly requalification processes for fast growing drug categories. In July 2025, AptarGroup launched a bio based nasal spray pump, incorporating renewable content while maintaining performance standards required for pharmaceutical drug delivery applications across both prescription and over the counter categories, spanning multiple international markets worldwide.
Established packaging groups across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market are increasingly divesting specialised business units, rather than retaining every legacy division, to concentrate capital and management attention on core growth categories. This is helping groups simplify operations while strengthening balance sheets for future investment. In November 2025, Sonoco completed the sale of its ThermoSafe temperature assured packaging business to Arsenal Capital Partners for 656 million dollars in cash proceeds, strengthening its balance sheet considerably ahead of continued portfolio simplification efforts across the business.
Established packaging suppliers are increasingly opening facilities dedicated exclusively to pharmaceutical packaging, rather than sharing capacity across broader industrial lines, to meet growing demand for regulated, patient focused formats. This is helping suppliers offer specialised expertise that general packaging facilities cannot match. In November 2025, Smurfit WestRock opened its Horizon facility, designed exclusively for pharmaceutical patient medication adherence packaging and clinical trial supply operations across its growing international customer base across neighbouring European and North American markets.
The Expert Market Research’s report titled "Europe Pharmaceutical Packaging Market Report and Forecast 2026-2035” offers a detailed analysis of the market based on the following segments:
Market Breakup by Materials
Key Insight: Versatility, light weight, and cost efficiency keep plastics and polymers as the dominant material category across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, spanning bottles, blister packs, and closures. Glass continues to serve injectable and biologic drug packaging where inertness and barrier protection matter most, paper and paperboard support secondary packaging and cartons, illustrated by DS Smith's January 2025 launch of a temperature controlled packaging solution designed to support pharmaceutical and biotech sustainability targets, aluminium foil provides blister lidding and barrier protection, and the Others category, spanning emerging bio based composites, continues to serve specialised sustainability focused applications.
Market Breakup by Product Type
Key Insight: Widespread use across oral solid dosage forms keeps plastic bottles among the largest product type categories across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market. Speciality bags support intravenous and nutrition products, parenteral containers serve injectable drug packaging, blister packing continues expanding across unit dose medication formats, closures ensure tamper evident and child resistant compliance, labels support serialisation and anti-counterfeiting requirements, and the Others category, spanning caps and vials, continues to serve specialised packaging niches.
Market Breakup by Packaging Type
Key Insight: Direct product contact requirements keep primary packaging as the largest packaging type category across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, spanning bottles, blister packs, and vials. Secondary packaging continues to serve cartons and outer containment supporting product information and branding, while tertiary packaging supports bulk transport and warehousing logistics across the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Market Breakup by Drug Delivery Mode
Key Insight: Widespread prescription and over the counter medication use keeps oral drug delivery as the largest category across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, spanning tablets and capsules. Injectable packaging is registering the fastest growth as biologics and GLP-1 therapies drive demand for prefillable syringes and vials, topical packaging serves creams and ointments, and the others category, spanning inhalers and nasal sprays, continues to serve specialised drug delivery formats.
Market Breakup by End Use
Key Insight: Direct in-house packaging needs keep pharma manufacturing as the largest end use category across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, spanning primary and secondary containment for branded drug production. Contract packaging continues expanding as manufacturers outsource specialised packaging requirements, illustrated by International Paper's January 2025 completion of its acquisition of DS Smith, creating a combined packaging group with expanded contract manufacturing capacity serving pharmaceutical clients. Retail pharmacy serves point of dispensing packaging needs, and institutional pharmacy supports hospital and care facility medication packaging across the region.
Market Breakup by Country
Key Insight: Regional dynamics in the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market continue to shape competitive strategies. Germany's large pharmaceutical manufacturing base and established glass packaging industry keep it at the front of national demand, while France and Italy support steady contract packaging and generic drug production. The Others category, spanning Spain and the Nordic countries, continues to serve smaller national demand pockets, and expanding biologics manufacturing investment is propelling the United Kingdom toward the fastest country level growth.
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Plastics and polymers account for the largest material share of the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, supported by versatility, light weight, and cost efficiency across bottles, blister packs, and closures. Established Europe pharmaceutical packaging companies continue to expand plastics-based product pipelines, serving this consistent, high volume demand base across oral solid dosage packaging categories and evolving sustainability requirements across increasingly recyclable material categories, well beyond current baseline regulatory expectations across the wider packaging sector today and tomorrow.

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Glass is registering the fastest growth as biologics and injectable drug production continue expanding across Europe, requiring inert, barrier protective containment for sensitive formulations. In February 2025, Schott Pharma reported first quarter revenue of 230 million euros, driven by strong demand for high value drug containment solutions supporting biologic and specialty drug formulations across major European pharmaceutical manufacturing hubs and expanding biosimilar production facilities across the wider European continent, neighbouring international markets, and emerging biosimilar drug categories currently under development.
Plastic bottles account for the largest product type share of the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, supported by widespread use across oral solid dosage forms and over the counter medications. Established Europe pharmaceutical packaging companies continue to expand plastic bottle product lines, serving this consistent, high volume demand base across retail and institutional pharmacy channels serving both branded and generic medication categories across urban and rural pharmacy networks throughout every major national market and expanding regional distribution network.

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Blister packing continues expanding as unit dose medication formats gain preference for dosage accuracy and patient compliance across both prescription and over the counter categories. In February 2026, Sonoco reported fourth quarter and full year 2025 results, confirming that its portfolio transformation was complete after a year of debt reduction and divestitures across its consumer packaging businesses, positioning the company for more predictable earnings growth going forward across both its consumer and industrial packaging segments.
Oral drug delivery accounts for the largest drug delivery mode share of the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, anchored by widespread prescription and over the counter medication use across tablets and capsules. Established Europe pharmaceutical packaging companies continue to expand oral drug packaging capacity, serving this consistent, high volume demand base across retail and institutional channels spanning both prescription and over the counter categories across every major national market and expanding institutional healthcare settings across hospital and clinic networks.

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Injectable packaging is registering the fastest growth as biologics and GLP-1 therapies drive demand for prefillable syringes and vials across the pharmaceutical sector. In May 2026, Nolato reported that validation deliveries continued at its expanded Hungarian facility, supporting a major customer's medical devices used to administer medication for diabetes and weight management treatment, with commercial scale volumes planned from the second quarter as the programme reaches full operational capacity.
Primary packaging accounts for the largest packaging type share of the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, supported by direct product contact requirements across bottles, blister packs, and vials. Established Europe pharmaceutical packaging companies continue to expand primary packaging product lines, serving this consistent, high volume demand base across oral and injectable drug categories requiring direct product contact compliance under increasingly stringent regulatory frameworks governing pharmaceutical product safety and patient protection standards enforced consistently throughout the entire region and beyond.

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Secondary packaging continues expanding across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market as cartons and outer containment increasingly integrate serialisation and anti-counterfeiting features required by regulators. In December 2025, Omnicell launched Titan XT, a next generation automated dispensing system designed to unify medication packaging and inventory management across pharmacy and nursing care settings throughout hospital networks and expanding outpatient care settings across increasingly decentralised healthcare delivery models spanning multiple care environments, treatment settings, and remote patient monitoring programmes across the entire country and beyond its major cities.
Pharma manufacturing accounts for the largest end use share of the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, anchored by direct in-house packaging needs spanning primary and secondary containment for branded drug production. Established Europe pharmaceutical packaging companies continue to expand manufacturing focused packaging services, serving this consistent, high volume demand base across branded and generic drug producers operating throughout the region and serving both domestic manufacturers and growing export focused pharmaceutical producers across increasingly demanding international regulatory markets.

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Contract packaging continues expanding as manufacturers across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market increasingly outsource specialised packaging requirements rather than maintaining every capability in house. In July 2026, Gerresheimer signed a definitive agreement to sell its Centor prescription dispensing packaging business and Primary Packaging Plastics unit to funds advised by Apax Partners for an enterprise value of approximately 1.5 billion euros, using proceeds to accelerate debt reduction and strengthen its balance sheet considerably ahead of continued transformation efforts.
Germany leads the Europe pharmaceutical packaging across the Europe pharmaceutical packaging market, anchored by a large pharmaceutical manufacturing base and established glass packaging industry supporting both domestic and export production. Established Europe pharmaceutical packaging companies continue to expand production and distribution networks across Germany, reinforcing the country's position as the region's primary pharmaceutical packaging demand centre, supported by proximity to major biotech clusters, research institutions, and established transport infrastructure connecting key manufacturing regions to major European distribution and export gateways nationwide and abroad.

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The United Kingdom is registering the fastest country level growth as expanding biologics manufacturing investment drives demand across the sector nationwide. In April 2025, Berry Global installed a second manufacturing line at its Worcester facility, expanding domestic production capacity to meet growing demand from healthcare and pharmaceutical packaging customers across the United Kingdom and neighbouring European export markets, reinforcing the site's role within Berry's wider international manufacturing network.
The industry is becoming increasingly competitive as major Europe pharmaceutical packaging companies invest in sustainable materials, specialised glass production, and smart packaging technologies to differentiate their portfolios across injectable and oral drug delivery categories. Companies are prioritising large scale mergers, bio-based material development, and regulatory compliance capabilities to appeal to increasingly sustainability conscious and compliance driven pharmaceutical clients. Established Europe pharmaceutical packaging companies are also deepening prefillable syringe production, digital compliance technology, and serialisation capabilities to strengthen market positioning, while investing in production consolidation to defend market share against rising competitive pressure.
Major Europe pharmaceutical packaging market players are also focusing on strategic divestitures and biologics focused capacity expansion to capture growing demand across evolving drug delivery segments. Strategic emphasis on sustainable materials and injectable packaging innovation is allowing established companies to capture market share as pharmaceutical client expectations around compliance and environmental performance evolve. The market players continue to pursue partnerships with device manufacturers and biologics producers, particularly across Germany and the United Kingdom, to diversify product portfolios beyond conventional container formats while smaller specialist manufacturers compete on niche technical expertise to retain quality focused pharmaceutical customers.
Founded in 1860 and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, Amcor is a global packaging company offering flexible and rigid packaging solutions across healthcare, food, and beverage industries. The company operates one of the industry's broadest pharmaceutical packaging portfolios spanning closures, devices, and containment formats across global markets.
Founded in 1864 and headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany, Gerresheimer is a global systems and solutions provider serving the pharmaceutical, biotech, and cosmetics industries. The company operates production facilities across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, specialising in glass and plastic primary packaging alongside drug delivery devices.
Founded in 1884 and headquartered in Mainz, Germany, Schott is a global specialty glass manufacturer with a major pharmaceutical packaging business operating through its Schott Pharma division. The company produces vials, ampoules, cartridges, and syringes serving injectable and biologic drug delivery applications worldwide.
Founded in 1992 and headquartered in Crystal Lake, Illinois, United States, AptarGroup designs and manufactures dispensing, sealing, and active packaging solutions for pharmaceutical, beauty, and consumer product markets. The company's Aptar Pharma division specialises in nasal spray, inhaler, and injectable drug delivery technologies.
Other key players in the market include DS Smith Plc, Sonoco Products Co., Sealed Air Corp., WestRock Co., Omnicell Inc., Berry Global Group Inc., and Nolato AB, among others.
*Please note that this is only a partial list; the complete list of key players is available in the full report. Additionally, the list of key players can be customized to better suit your needs.*
Unlock the latest insights with our Europe pharmaceutical packaging market trends 2026 report. Discover regional growth patterns, material and product type economics, and key industry players. Stay ahead of competition with trusted data and expert analysis. Download your free sample report today and drive informed decisions in the market.
*While we strive to always give you current and accurate information, the numbers depicted on the website are indicative and may differ from the actual numbers in the main report. At Expert Market Research, we aim to bring you the latest insights and trends in the market. Using our analyses and forecasts, stakeholders can understand the market dynamics, navigate challenges, and capitalize on opportunities to make data-driven strategic decisions.*
In 2025, the market reached an approximate value of USD 28.62 Billion.
The market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.70% between 2026 and 2035.
The market is assessed to witness a healthy growth in the forecast period to reach around USD 54.74 Billion in 2035.
The different materials used in pharmaceutical packaging include plastics and polymers, glass, paper and paperboard, and aluminium foil, among others.
The different product types in the market include plastic bottles, speciality bags, parenteral container, blister packing, closures, and labels, among others.
The different end uses of pharmaceutical packaging are pharma manufacturing, contract packaging, retail pharmacy, and institutional pharmacy.
Germany dominates the market, supported by a large pharmaceutical manufacturing base and established glass packaging industry.
The key players in the market include Amcor Plc, DS Smith Plc, Gerresheimer AG, Sonoco Products Co., Sealed Air Corp., Schott AG, WestRock Co., Omnicell Inc., AptarGroup, Inc., Berry Global Group Inc., and Nolato AB, among others.
Key challenges include stringent pharmaceutical packaging regulations, sustainability and recyclability requirements, rising raw material and manufacturing costs, complex supply chains, stringent quality-control standards, and the need to balance product protection with lightweight, environmentally responsible packaging solutions.
Key strategies include adopting sustainable and recyclable packaging materials, investing in smart and tamper-evident solutions, expanding lightweight packaging formats, strengthening regulatory compliance, enhancing supply-chain efficiency, and developing advanced packaging technologies that improve drug protection, traceability, patient safety, and convenience.
Plastics and polymers hold the largest share, supported by versatility, light weight, and cost efficiency across container formats.
Explore our key highlights of the report and gain a concise overview of key findings, trends, and actionable insights that will empower your strategic decisions.
| REPORT FEATURES | DETAILS |
| Base Year | 2025 |
| Historical Period | 2019-2025 |
| Forecast Period | 2026-2035 |
| Scope of the Report |
Historical and Forecast Trends, Industry Drivers and Constraints, Historical and Forecast Market Analysis by Segment:
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| Breakup by Materials |
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| Breakup by Product Type |
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| Breakup by Packaging Type |
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| Breakup by Drug Delivery Mode |
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| Breakup by End Use |
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| Breakup by Region |
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| Market Dynamics |
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| Competitive Landscape |
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| Companies Covered |
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