Plastics Industry M&A Activity Tracking
Global Plastics M&A recorded its second most active month of the year in July, tallying 39 deals and falling three deals shy of elevated activity seen in January. This volume represented an eight-deal increase from prior month activity and a 13-deal, or 50% increase, over July 2023 levels. The uptick in activity was driven by increased demand from strategic buyers who represented more than half of the deal volume and accounted for 21 deals, a month-over-month increase of eight transactions for this buyer group. Meanwhile, financial buyers remained active, matching June volumes. Overall, July marked a strong start to the second half of the year for Global Plastics M&A.
- After a sluggish first half of the year, the Injection Molding subsector rebounded in July. The subsector logged 14 deals, an increase of 75% relative to the 2024 monthly average
- Strategic buyers led all buyer groups in activity, accounting for 21 deals, or 54% of the volume. This represented a four-deal increase over the average strategic buyer volume observed in 2023 and a 62% increase over June levels
- Financial buyers matched prior month activity, posting 18 deals. After experiencing a record month in June, platform acquisitions returned to historical levels and tallied seven deals in the month. Meanwhile, add-on transactions more than doubled June activity and posted double-digit volume for the third time this year
- Foreign M&A activity saw an uptick in July, accounting for 26 deals in July, or 67% of the monthly activity. On the year, Foreign deals have accounted for 49% of the transaction activity
- All end markets matched prior month activity or saw an uptick in transaction volume in July. No end market experienced more than a three-deal increase, while the Medical end market was the sole end market to remain flat with June levels
Sources: S&P Capital IQ, Company Websites, Pitchbook, Company Reports, PMCF
Major News
- Silgan Holdings to Buy 3i-Backed Weener Plastics in $908 Million Deal (The Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/silgan-holdings-to-buy-3i-backed-weener-plastics-in-908-million-deal-c41a7ec6 - A Fight Over the Future of Recycling Brews as Plastics Legislation Gains Traction (The Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-fight-over-the-future-of-recycling-brews-as-plastics-legislation-gains-traction-a30be3a4 - The White House Has a Plan to Slash Plastic Use in the U.S. (The New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/19/climate/biden-administration-single-use-plastic-reduction.html - Housing Market Still Under Stress, Constraining Growth for Plastics (Plastics News)
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/plastics-growth-constrained-stressed-housing-market - Plastics M&A Market Battles High Interest Rates (Plastics News)
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/plastics-mergers-and-acquisitions-market-battles-high-interest-rates - Costco Switches Rotisserie Chicken Container to Flexible Packaging (Plastics News)
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/costo-chicken-switches-rigid-flexible-packaging
Download Plastics M&A Update – July 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.
Plastics M&A Update – February 2026
Global Plastics M&A cooled off in February following a record-setting January with 31 transactions – down 21 from the prior month and seven from last February.
Packaging M&A Update – January 2026
Global packaging M&A maintained steady volume to open 2026 with 30 deals in January, which was in-line with historical levels for January but below the record 45 transactions announced in January 2025.
Plastics M&A Update – January 2026
52 global plastics M&A transactions were recorded in January 2026, which represented one of the most active months for plastics M&A since PMCF began tracking the sector.
Plastics M&A Update – December 2025
Global Plastics M&A posted 34 transactions in December, one deal fewer than both November and the 2025 monthly average.