By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat The domestic packaging industry, which is slowly transitioning into the use of more environment-friendly materials, expects a steady 6 percent growth this year. Joseph Ross Jocson, outgoing president of the Packaging Institute of the Philippines, told reporters at the opening of the ProPak Philippines 2019 Expo that the industry has been steadily growing for the past couple of years as small and medium producers become more aware of the role packaging plays in their products. Jocson explained that growth in packaging has correlation with population and income. In fact, Jocson said, “We are now the third largest industry because everything is packaged from food, medicines, electronics, automotive, among others.” They have no concrete industry figure for the Philippine market, but Jocson said that globally they are already a $1 trillion industry and growing. He noted that packaging encompasses other sectors, including printing. Cost of packaging in production varies depending on the product. For simple products, Jocson said, packaging may account for only 20 percent but for perfumes, it could cost more than its content. Jocson also noted that there has been a slow move towards the use of environment-friendly materials from plastic materials. The institute, comprising of 130 members, has been advocating for the proper use of plastic because this is an indispensable packaging material. So far, paper-based packaging accounts for 30 percent while plastic is still the majority with 70 percent share.