Molded Fiber Packaging Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Source (Wood Pulp, Non-Wood Pulp), By Molded Type (Thermoformed, Transfer), By Product, By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2025 - 2030

Molded Fiber Packaging Market Summary

Eggs are packaged in molded fiber trays and clamshells, which are then sold to restaurants, foodservice operators, and individual buyers. In addition, per capita egg consumption is increasing on a yearly basis in the world. Thus, the rising consumption of eggs, owing to the expanding population, associated health benefits, and increasing demand for higher protein intake, is anticipated to drive the demand for molded fiber packaging products, thereby propelling the market growth.

The rising consumption of eggs has increased the production of eggs. The graph below represents the total production of eggs in the world in the year 2020. Eggs are packed in plastic as well as molded fiber trays and clamshells, which are further sold to retail chains and foodservice operators. The U.S., Netherlands, and Turkey are among the top exporters of eggs in the world. Molded fiber packaging can also be used for the storage and transportation of eggs, which is expected to drive the market over the forecast period.

Apart from eggs, fruits such as apples, avocadoes, guavas, and oranges are packaged in molded fiber packaging products such as trays. Factors such as growing population, rising disposable income, and the growing trend of a healthy lifestyle are expected to drive the demand for fresh fruits in the coming years. This is expected to augment the demand for molded fiber packaging over the forecast period.

Manufacturers are striving to maintain a healthy competitive environment across market space by implementing various strategies. For instance, in January 2024, Genpak launched a new sustainable molded fiber packaging line called the revamped Harvest Fiber, which includes hinged food service containers, trays, and tableware made from renewable fibers with no intentionally added PFAS. These containers are microwaveable and suitable for both hot and cold food applications, designed to meet the needs of foodservice operators by combining environmental sustainability with reliable performance and durability. The packaging is also BPI Certified Commercially Compostable and USDA BioPreferred, offering a practical and economical solution for restaurants facing increasing regulations against PFAS, while maintaining meal integrity for in-house and off-premises dining.

Source Insights

Based on source, the wood pulp segment accounted for the largest market share of over 85.0% in terms of revenue in 2024. Molded fiber packaging manufacturers majorly use waste newspapers for manufacturing fiber. The wide availability of wastepaper and virgin wood can be attributed to the highest share of the segment in 2024. Non-wood pulp is seen to be the fastest growing source segment, with a growth rate of 7.0% over the forecast period. Non-wood pulp sources eliminate the need for virgin wood and hence, provide complete sustainability, contributing to its growing market penetration rate.

Molded Type Insights

The transfer molded fiber type products dominated the type segment and accounted for a market share of over 56.0% in terms of revenue in 2024. The wide-scale adoption of transfer molded fiber products, such as trays and clamshells for eggs and fruit packaging, can be attributed to highest revenue share of the segment in the global market.

The thermoformed molded products segment is expected to grow with the highest growth rate of 6.5% over the forecast period. Thermoformed molded products offer higher aesthetic appeal, which has been driving considerable traction for the segment since the past several years.

Product Insights

Trays dominated the product segment, with a revenue share of over 41.0% of the global molded fiber packaging market in 2024. Low cost, wide availability, and good shock absorption characteristics for the packaging of fragile products such as eggs and glass beverage bottles contributed to the highest share of the segment.

Clamshells are anticipated to progress in the product segment, at a CAGR of 6.3% over the forecast period. The demand for molded fiber clamshells is rapidly increasing due to the high demand for retail egg packaging

End-use Insights

Food packaging emerged as the most significant end-use segment in 2024 and accounted for over 44.0% of the overall market share. Molded fiber packaging products, such as trays and clamshells used in the food industry, offer cushioning for fragile food items such as fruits and eggs. The molded fiber trays are used for fruits stacking in cardboard boxes. The growing import and export of fruits globally is expected to drive the demand for molded fiber packaging in the food packaging end-use industry.

The electronics end-use segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR of 6.7% from 2025 to 2030. The increasing consumption of molded fiber products for the packaging of various electronic products, including mobile phones and their accessories, computers, printers, modems, trimmers, and projectors, due to their convenience, sustainability, and low cost is contributing to the growth of this segment.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific held the largest market share of over 41.0% in 2024. The region is segmented into China, Japan, and India. China accounted for largest market share of molded fiber packaging market in 2024 in Asia Pacific region. This is attributed to large food & beverage industry followed by electronics market owing to high population and increasing disposable income of consumers in country. Moreover, the country is home to several electronic companies such as Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, Lenovo, Xiaomi, and others which gives rise to demand for molded fiber packaging to store and transport delicate electronic goods.

This growth in market share can be ascribed to the rising importance of using disposable packaging solutions on account of rising instances of environment-related problems faced by economies such as China and India in recent years. According to various sources, crates of unwanted packaging waste from the West has accumulated in many ports of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In another instance, huge piles of toxic waste of plastics from Europe and the U.S. has piled up across Malaysia. To improve these situations, local authorities and governments have vowed to reduce the landfill waste accumulated in the Southeast Asia region by introducing strict regulations related to waste disposal. These steps are likely to lead to the adoption of more-sustainable packaging solutions across the verticals.

China Molded Fiber Packaging Market Trends

China is the largest food & beverage market in Asia Pacific, with a high consumer spending on eating out. Out of this foodservice, full-service restaurants accounted for the highest share (around 70%) of sales. Emergence of problems related to environment and pollution in the country has forced the governmental agencies and organizations to strictly adhere to sustainability strategies. This essentially meant to adopt biodegradable packaging solutions and ban the use of single-use plastic.

North America Molded Fiber Packaging Market Trends

Increasing digitization and focus on reducing the use of plastics, especially in packaged food and foodservice industry, are expected to augment the demand for molded fiber packaging. Regulations pertaining to environmental safety and rising need for easy disposal are expected to drive the demand for bio-based materials in packaging applications. This is expected to boost the overall market growth in the coming years.

In November 2021, ProAmpac Intermediate, Inc. the U.S.-based leading in flexible packaging has acquired Irish Flexible Packaging and Fispak from their parent company, IFP Investments Limited. With these acquisitions, ProAmpac advances its strategy to expand in Europe and the United Kingdom by further enhancing its existing product offering with a strong portfolio of sustainability-focused flexible packaging capabilities. Such collaborations and partnerships are expected to drive the demand for molded fiber packaging over the forecast period.

Europe Molded Fiber Packaging Market Trends

The growth of the Europe molded fiber packaging market can be attributed to the wide application scope for molded fiber packaging in the food service & packaging industry in Europe. EU had close to one million restaurants and mobile food services in 2022, and the number is expected to increase during the forecast period. With increasing number of restaurants and other food outlets, the demand for sustainable packaging solution is also expected to grow. The member countries of the EU maintain stringent regulatory regime to keep a check on environmental impacts caused by disposal of wastes, mainly plastics.

Europe is a major producer of fiber-based products. According to the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI), 90.58 million tons of paper and board was produced in the region in 2021. This shows the rising demand for fiber-based products in Europe, thereby creating significant growth avenues for the molded fiber packaging market.

Key Molded Fiber Packaging Companies Insights

The molded fiber packaging market is highly competitive with presence of both global and regional companies. Companies operating in the market offer a wide range of products that are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Moreover, they offer custom packaging products to suit customer-specific requirements. The market has also witnessed several new product launches, divestment, and mergers and acquisitions over last few years.

• In July 2024, Hartmann’s developed new product Plus View, which is used to show coloured and hard-boiled eggs - an egg specialty found mainly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Plus View is the only moulded fibre-based egg carton in the world where your eggs are visible from the top and front.

• In May 2024, Huhtamaki decided to consolidate its three Flexible Packaging manufacturing sites in the UAE, keeping one factory in Jebel Ali and expanding the one in Ras Al Khaimah. The change is part of Huhtamaki’s program to accelerate strategy implementation and expected to be leading to savings of approximately EUR 100 million over the next three years. 

Molded Fiber Packaging Market Report Scope

Global Molded Fiber Packaging Market Report Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at regional, and country levels and provides an analysis on latest industry trends and opportunities in each of sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented global molded fiber packaging market report on the basis of source, molded type, product, end-use, and region:

• Source Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Wood Pulp

  • Non-wood Pulp

• Molded Type Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Thick Wall

  • Transfer

  • Thermoformed

  • Processed

• Product Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Trays

  • End Caps

  • Bowls & Cups

  • Clamshells

  • Plates

  • Others

• End-use Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Food Packaging

  • Food Service

  • Electronics

  • Healthcare

  • Industrial

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • France

    • U.K.

    • Italy

    • Spain

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

    • South Korea

    • Southeast Asia

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

    • Argentina

  • Middle East & Africa

    • Saudi Arabia

    • UAE

    • South Africa