A new study from Smithers and UPM Specialty Materials points to changing dynamics in the food packaging landscape, with fibre-based materials taking the leading share by 2045, recycling rates climbing toward 37%, and a regulatory landscape where sustainability becomes a strict government mandate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fibre-based food packaging is on course to become the leading sustainable material by 2045, driven by breakthrough barrier coating technologies, tightening global regulation, and a decisive consumer shift away from single-use plastics. These are among the key findings of the new global study published today by UPM Specialty Materials and Smithers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 230 global packaging professionals from across the value chain contributed to a collective assessment of the key trends projected to drive sustainability in food packaging by 2045.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the survey, respondents see strong interest in fibre-based packaging, with its share of the global food packaging market is expected to rise from 37% today to 42% by 2045. 71% of respondents expect fibre-based packaging to be perceived as the most sustainable solution, citing advances in barrier coatings set to unlock food applications that were previously the exclusive domain of plastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re encouraged to see strong momentum behind fibre-based packaging, driven by regulation, consumer demand, and ongoing innovation in barrier technologies. Our role is to support customers in this transition with high-performance, sustainable solutions that do not compromise on functionality.\u201d says Janne Varvemaa<\/strong>, Director, Products and Technology, UPM Specialty Materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The study outlines a future in which sustainability becomes a strict government mandate, not a brand differentiator: 71% of those surveyed believe this is likely, and 88% expect it to fundamentally reshape packaging choices. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and eco-modulation fees are projected to become a primary driver of material selection, rewarding recyclable, high-performance solutions and penalizing hard-to-recycle alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recycling rates are forecast to climb from 31% in 2030 to 37% by 2045. Yet challenges remain, with respondents expecting that landfilling and incineration will persist. Outcomes vary significantly by region, with Europe leading in recycling while the US and Asia-Pacific face distinct infrastructure and regulatory hurdles. Overall, the findings underscore the urgency of accelerating innovation and development globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe evidence is clear that the industry will continue to focus on improving recycling rates and regulations, particularly as EPR and eco-modulation are directly influencing material choices. Ongoing innovation in barrier technologies is also opening up new applications for fibre-based packaging to compete with plastic alternatives,\u201d says Ciaran Little<\/strong>, VP, Global Consulting Information Division, Smithers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new study from Smithers and UPM Specialty Materials points to changing dynamics in the food packaging landscape, with fibre-based materials taking the leading share by 2045, recycling rates climbing toward 37%, and a regulatory landscape where sustainability becomes a strict government mandate. Fibre-based food packaging is on course to become the leading sustainable material<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[714,501],"class_list":["post-22814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-flexible-packaging","tag-smithers","tag-upm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22814"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22816,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22814\/revisions\/22816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cpmirror.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}