PMCF’s View on the M&A Market
PMCF’s Plastics & Packaging Monthly M&A Update is meant to supplement our semi-annual M&A reports and provide our contacts with more frequent information on M&A activity in the dynamic plastics and packaging industries.
M&A activity for the month of November continued to be strong in packaging with reported deals increasing by 11.5% compared to last year. The Paper Packaging sub-segment drove a large part of this increase which we believe is due in part to increased attractiveness of paper in single-use packaging applications. Conversely, Global Plastics M&A reported another monthly decline in November which was partly attributable to lower activity in the Film sub-segment. Plastics M&A activity in total is still slightly ahead of last year so we are not drawing any conclusions from the decline over the last two months.
Strategic buyer activity picked up in both sectors compared to last month and add-on acquisitions continue to represent the majority of private equity transactions. Purchase price multiples and debt financing remain strong based on the deal activity that we’ve seen or that has been publicly disclosed. Total M&A activity for 2019 in both Plastics and Packaging sectors is tracking to finish at similar levels to 2018, which would represent another strong year of M&A.
PMCF Industry M&A Activity Tracking
Notable M&A Activity
Major News in Plastics & Packaging
- Wall Street Journal: Private-Equity Cash Piles Up as Takeover Targets Get Pricier (Buyout activity in the U.S. is down sharply even as firms’ unspent cash allocated for North American deals hits record $771.5 billion)
- ETMM: K 2019 gives a clear signal for responsible handling of plastics
- Fastmarkets RISI: US economic activity in manufacturing sector expands in November for 127th consecutive month – ISM
- Fastmarkets RISI: US GPD rises by 2.1% in 3Q 2019
Public Entity Performance
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.