Plastics Industry M&A Activity Tracking
Global Plastics M&A announcements increased substantially in July, setting a new high-water mark for 2025 with 42 deals announced. Strategic buyers led activity and were a primary driver of deal flow during the month while financial buyer appetite remained in-line with historical levels. Additionally, heightened deal flow in the Medical end market played a meaningful role in the volume increase. Elevated activity is encouraging in the face of macroeconomic uncertainty and mixed demand caused by tariffs. Additionally, the uptick in Global Plastics M&A is a favorable sign for the second half of 2025, displaying active market participation from both buyers and sellers.
- Tying its most active month in 2025, the Film subsector posted six deals, which represents an increase of two over June levels. Meanwhile, the Specialty subsector recorded 17 deals, its highest volume year-to-date but declining from prior year activity by one transaction
- Strategic buyers accounted for well over 60% of activity in the month. With 27 transactions posted, July was the most active month for strategic buyers since late 2021. As for Financial buyers, Platform transactions were elevated from H1 2025 levels with 10 deals while Add-On acquisitions were below recent norms
- Deals involving a U.S. acquirer of a foreign target were notably up, with 11 deals of this type announced in July. This accounts for over half of the year-to-date activity for this transaction type. Domestic M&A tallied 13 deals during the month, which is slightly above the average monthly activity since the start of 2023
- Eight deals were announced in the Medical end market in July, marking the highest monthly activity in over three years for this sector. Consumer transaction volume has been consistent over the past three months, with five deals posted in each period
Sources: S&P Capital IQ, Company Websites, Pitchbook, Company Reports, PMCF
Major News
- UN Panel Rejects Bid to Classify Plastic Pellets as Dangerous (Plastics News)
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/un-panel-rejects-bid-classify-plastic-pellets-dangerous-goods - Industry, Recycling Groups Back Bipartisan Recycling Bill (Plastics News)
https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/plastics-recycling-groups-back-recycling-tax-credit-legislation - Trade Between the U.S. and EU is Massive. We Break it Down. (The Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/european-union-exports-tariffs-explained-64acab19?mod=trade_more_article_pos33 - The Two Months That Will Test Whether the Fed Called the Economy Right (The Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/economy/central-banking/powells-gamble-that-the-economy-will-reveal-its-true-self-in-the-next-two-months-a62e0ddc?mod=economy_more_article_pos43 - US-UK Plastics Trade Surplus Soars to Record Heights (Plastics Today)
https://www.plasticstoday.com/industry-trends/us-uk-plastics-trade-surplus-soars-to-record-heights - Tariffs Tangle Complicated M&A Decisions in 2025 (Plastics News)
https://www.plasticsnews.com/mergers-acquisitions/plastics-ma-drops-10-percent-2025-tariffs-delay-dealmaking
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.