Market Trends of Sustainable Foodservice Packaging Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Sustainable Foodservice Packaging Market according to our research experts:
Quick Service Restaurants are Expected to Drive the Market Among End-users
- Quick service restaurants (QSRs) offer low-cost food options, focusing on the speed of service. The minimal table service and emphasis on self-service make this group different from traditional restaurants. The relationship between quick-service restaurants and sustainability has been inconsistent.
- The industry is not exceptionally environmentally friendly among the Styrofoam cups and packages, plastic lids, cardboard holders, genetically modified vegetables, and inorganic meat. However, as eco-friendly services are becoming more appealing to customers, many companies are moving to greener options that are less harmful to the environment.
- Some quick-service restaurants, known for their 'organic' options, are adapting to more environmentally friendly alternatives to reduce their carbon footprint. For instance, in June 2022, KFC India unveiled 'KFConscious,' marketed as the most sustainable restaurant in Chennai, as the outlet aims to use environment-friendly materials. KFC India has also chalked out plans to open 20 more outlets across the country by the end of 2022. Such instances are driving the demand for sustainable foodservice packaging in QSRs.
- The segment also witnessed multiple partnerships due to the rising demand for sustainable packaging. For instance, in October 2021, Yum! Brands expanded its existing partnership with the NextGen Consortium, a multi-year consortium convened by Closed Loop Partners, to address disposable food packaging waste. As a support partner, Yum! and its KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill brands will continue to work with other companies to help advance sustainable food service packaging solutions that are resilient across the infrastructure. Also, this partnership plays an important role in Yum!'s overall sustainable packaging strategy through innovation and alliances across the foodservice industry.
- The COVID-19 pandemic sparked an unprecedented shift in the way U.S. consumers spent money on food, particularly at restaurants and other food-away-from-home (FAFH) establishments. Consumer spending increased on a particular type of food offered by the quick service restaurants, such as hamburgers, pizza, or chicken.
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Asia Pacific Accounts for the Largest Market Share
- The Asia Pacific region comprises densely populated countries and emerging economies, such as China and India. The demand for food services is rapidly growing, and the adoption of sustainable packaging is gaining momentum and is expected to be the highest during the forecasted period.
- Plastic has been an essential part of the packaging industry that forms the foundation of the consumer convenience culture. Owing to their cost-to-performance ratio, traditional packaging materials, such as corrugated paper boards, glass, metals, etc., have been substituted by plastics in food service and numerous applications in the food industry. However, the qualities that make plastic convenient to use also make it non-degradable and have an everlasting presence in the environment, contributing to 43% of pollution in India alone.
- In February 2022, CHUK, a compostable foodservice ware brand, joined quick commerce firm Blinkitas, its sustainability partner. Blinkitdelivers CHUK's products to end consumers within 10 minutes, bridging the gap between end consumers and CHUK. The partnership helps CHUK aim to serve one crore pieces to the end-consumers on the platform in FY 2022-23. Blinkit, as a sustainability partner, CHUK seeks to create a pan-India online presence. This partnership will enable CHUK to facilitate easier access to its range of products for customers across geographies.
- The Indian Railways and Air India announced replacing plastic packaging with eco-friendly paper and will use wooden cutlery to take a step toward sustainability. Numerous brands are now switching their packaging away from single-use packaging to recyclable, reusable, and compostable material packaging.
- In December 2021, Eka Global, a leading longevity packaging manufacturer, announced the opening a new manufacturing plant in India in 2022 with an investment of USD 10 million production plant that will enable the company to increase production capacity to meet rising demand in Asian markets. With a focus on green products under the circular economy concept, the company aims to increase annual sales to THB 3,000 million in five years to become one of the world's top five longevity packaging producers.
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