Plastics Industry M&A Activity Tracking
Global Plastics M&A ended 2024 on a strong note, with 31 deals announced in December. Both strategic and financial buyers contributed almost equally to deal activity during the month, a trend that has persisted throughout the year. This balanced participation represents a shift from prior years, when strategic buyers typically dominated deal activity. Overall, plastic M&A activity in 2024 was robust, with 401 transactions recorded—only the second time the plastics sector exceeded 400 deals in a single year. Notably, both foreign and domestic transactions outpaced 2023 volumes, with foreign transactions outpacing prior year volume by nine deals, a 5% increase in activity.
- Resin/Color & Compounding tallied its highest monthly volume of 2024 in December, accounting for eight deals. Injection Molding had a slow month of activity tying its least active month this year with four transactions recorded. Despite a slow December, the Injection Molding subsector finished 2024 with elevated activity levels relative to historical years
- Both strategic and add-on acquisitions remained in line with 2024 averages and drove a substantial portion of deal flow during December. Platform private equity deals recorded only three deals overall, or eight fewer deals than in November
- There were 18 deals announced that involved a foreign buyer and seller during the month, which represented 58% of all activity. Meanwhile, domestic M&A activity lagged from monthly 2024 averages, accounting for seven transactions, or 23% of all activity
- The Food & Beverage end market had a strong end to the year with eight deals posted in December and 23 in Q4, which represented 20% of the deal flow during the last 3 months of the year. Following high levels of activity in October and November, deal flow in the Medical end market slowed, with only one deal posted in December
Sources: S&P Capital IQ, Company Websites, Pitchbook, Company Reports, PMCF
Major News
- Novolex Buying Pactiv Evergreen in $6.7B Deal (Plastics News)
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/packaging-firms-novolex-pactiv-evergreen-67b-acquisition-deal - Resin Prices may be Volatile in 2025 (Plastics News)
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/resin-prices-may-be-volatile-2025 - Paris Olympics Cut Single-Use Plastic Bottles by 70% Versus 2012 (Packaging Dive)
https://www.packagingdive.com/news/paris-olympics-plastic-reuse-sustainability-results/735732/ - Global Plastic Pollution Treaty Talks Fail in Final Meeting of 2024 (Packaging Dive)
https://www.packagingdive.com/news/un-plastic-pollution-negotiations-inc5-no-final-agreement/734245/ - Breaking Down Trump’s Tariffs on China and the World, in Charts (The Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/trump-tariff-rates-china-world-trade-charts-3d6aee09?mod=trade_more_article_pos35 - U.S. Economy Is Doing What Few Others Are: Getting More Productive (The Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/economy/u-s-economy-is-doing-what-few-others-are-getting-more-productive-4c2116f5?mod=jobs_more_article_pos2
Download Plastics M&A Update – December 2024
Packaging M&A Update – June 2026
Global Packaging M&A held steady in June with 27 transactions, in line with May and three deals above June 2025.
Plastics M&A Update – June 2026
Global Plastics M&A accelerated in June, with 46 transactions announced, an increase of 10 from May and eight from June 2025.
Packaging M&A Update – May 2026
Global Packaging M&A activity slowed slightly in May, with 27 deals announced. While this reflected only a one-deal decrease compared to April, activity rebounded meaningfully from May 2025, with ten more transactions announced.
Plastics M&A Update – May 2026
Global Plastics M&A recorded 36 transactions in May, increasing by five deals from April and seven from May 2025, bringing year-to-date volume to 188 transactions.
Packaging M&A Update – April 2026
Global Packaging M&A activity remained stable in April, with 28 deals announced, one fewer than April 2025 and slightly above March levels. Through the first four months of 2026, 105 deals have been announced, a 27-deal decrease from the prior-year period.