Smithers top sustainable technologies defining future foodservice packaging

Smithers latest market report ‘Sustainable Foodservice Packaging to 2024 – A State of the Art Report’​ estimates the global foodservice market exceeds $31.4bn and it is growing at an annual rate of 5.3%.  

Five year forecast

The report assesses the top 20 sustainable technologies in the foodservice packaging sector.  

It examines each technology, commercialisation potential and current developments (with a focus on new materials technologies) and how these will evolve over the next five years.  

“The global foodservice packaging industry provides a range of products and services to meet the requirements of brand owners and consumers. With sustainability increasingly high on the agenda of both there is a market imperative to introduce a new suite of materials,​” said John Nelson, editor, Smithers Market Reports and Consulting. 

“As green packaging becomes a core commitment from many quick-service restaurant, and take-home food brands material suppliers and converters who can deliver technologies that match performance of existing plastic formats can expect a price premium for these.​” 

To investigate the sector further Smithers conducted an investigation into the current sustainable foodservice designs derived from a pool of 650 foodservice industry experts and stakeholders.  

Here, Nelson shares the material trends that will define the foodservice packaging segment as it responds to the challenge of a greener future.  

Paperboard​

The most immediate winners will be paperboard formats – in particular high-performance corrugated packaging constructed from lighter, stronger containerboards based on corrugating medium and coated or laminated linerboards for high-quality printing. 

Accelerated growth over the next five years will come from greater use of e-commerce ready-to-go food delivery, including innovative designs for maintaining thermal insulation in such shipments. 

Plastics​

Besides losing market share to a new generation of paperboard packs, another trend within polymer formats will be a wider use of biopolymers. In the short term bio-based solutions of existing polymers, like PET, have an advantage in that they can directly substitute without recalibrating existing moulding lines. 

New polymer type – only available with bio-based feedstocks, such as PLA – will see an additional benefit once their production reaches full commercial production. This includes their biodegradable and compostable nature that is especially desirable in foodservice.  

Barrier coatings ​

Another key driver is the need for more recyclable functional barrier coatings for paperboard. Many current solutions impinge on the recyclability at end-of-life. The main demand is for water-based coating technologies to replace existing solvent-based technologies. The need to resist grease from fatty foods, and moisture from both hot and cold drinks, makes foodservice a particularly challenging application for technology developers.  

Innovative materials ​

Over the next five years increased private and public-sector R&D funding will advance a range of alternative materials sets. These include: moulded fibre packs, nanocellulose, wood-based composites, and lignin-derived barrier coatings and plastics. 

Advanced recovery ​

Advanced waste management and recycling technologies will also play a major role, which will potentially affect all foodservice segments, if implemented. 

More effective waste separation that allow for a broader collection of foodservice packs will enhance the popularity of easily recycled materials – such as papers. Chemical recycling platforms that enable direct conversion of waste plastic to monomers and pre-polymer feedstocks are now undergoing trials. Once they reach commercial implementation these could seriously cut the negative environmental impact of plastic food containers.