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
Plastics M&A Update – March 2026
Global Plastics M&A experienced recorded 38 transactions in March, representing an uptick of seven deals from the prior month and five deals from last March.
Packaging M&A Update – March 2026
Global Packaging M&A activity improved in March, with 27 deals announced.
Plastics M&A Pulse – 2025 Year In Review
Global Plastics M&A recorded its fourth consecutive year of deal volume growth with 420 transactions, highlighting a steady rebound following the record-setting activity of 2021.
Packaging M&A Pulse – 2025 Year In Review
The Global Packaging M&A market achieved its third consecutive year of growth in 2025 with 344 transactions, up 22 deals from 2024.
Packaging M&A Update – February 2026
Global Packaging M&A tapered in February as 20 deals were announced in the sector, down more than 30% from prior month and prior year levels.