The packaging industry does not shine in headlines, but in customs data it is one of the most stable flows between Europe and the USA.
In our paper and packaging category there are hundreds of US importers: packaging manufacturers, print shops, e-commerce fulfilment providers and the food industry. The flows are even and recurring, because packaging is a consumable ordered rhythmically all year round.
Europe's strength is specialty packaging: high print quality, food-grade materials, sustainable solutions and smaller custom orders that large US factories cannot be bothered to make.
The environmental requirements of large US customers reach the supply chain faster than federal regulation. Brands want plastic-free, recycled and certified packaging, and local supply cannot keep up with demand. A European manufacturer with FSC certification speaks a language the buyer is currently learning.
This is a niche where a smaller manufacturer can think big: the decision-maker is the brand's packaging manager, not the procurement department.
If you make cardboard, boxes, labels, paper bags or specialty packaging, the USA is a realistic target for you. Let us start by showing you the actual buyers in your subcategory and their current suppliers. After that you decide for yourself whether we go forward together.
The first consultation is free: together we'll see who in the US already buys your product and how to reach them.