In July 2026, today's packaging is no longer limited to boxes placed in the store rooms of a store. It also has a vital role in consumer-facing packaging at the front and center, onto retail shelves, into shoppers’ hands, and also into the strategic plans of growers, shippers, and retailers seeking balance, sustainability, performance, and cost.
This shift clearly reflects a huge change in the industry where packaging has a role way beyond protecting the product. It is also essential to protect quality, support merchandising, and meet the rising environmental expectations. Demand is following suit, with the fresh produce packaging market projected to grow 2.4% annually to $7.3 billion by 2028, driven by increased use of retail-ready, value-added formats rather than higher production volumes, according to the U.S. Fresh Produce Packaging Market 2024-2033 report, by ResearchAndMarkets.com, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with U.S. offices in New York, NY.
“Sustainability is one of the core values of New Leaf Community Markets, so we are always looking for ways to reduce unnecessary packaging,” says Maroka Kawamura, senior category manager for produce of New Leaf and Lazy Acres Natural Market, both owned by Good Food Holdings, Inc., in Carson, CA. “We don’t require vendors to use only compostable or cardboard packaging, as that can increase costs for many of the smaller growers we work with. That said, we encourage sustainability efforts across the industry.”
“An advantage of corrugated material is its infrastructure readiness: curbside acceptance and high recovery rates allow for circularity, while reusable plastic containers (RPCs) depend on controlled, closed-loop systems for transport, return, washing, and redistribution,” says Brian Pincus, vice president of innovation for Smurfit Westrock, in Atlanta, GA.
Over two-thirds (69%) to nearly three-fourths (74%) of cardboard available for recovery was recycles in the U.S. in 2024, making corrugated one of the most recycles packaging materials, according to the American Forest & Paper Association, 69% to 74% of cardboard available for recovery was recycled in the U.S. in 2024, making corrugated one of the most recycled packaging materials.
EPR laws are state-level policies that hold manufacturers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their packaging and products. This shifts disposal costs from municipalities to producers. These laws require companies to join producer responsibility organizations (PROs), pay fees based on packaging material, and meet recyclability targets, according to the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, in Charlottesville, VA.
Beyond sustainability, “today’s demand for corrugated packaging in fruits and vegetables is driven by sustainability, eCommerce, and retail-ready convenience, as well as the need for better freshness control,” says Lauren Campen, senior manager, public affairs and communications for corrugated at Georgia-Pacific, in Atlanta, GA, pointing to innovations such as ventilated designs, moisture management features, and protective cushioning.
New product development in the case of paper-based packaging is rapidly transitioning from concept to commercial reality. It also includes designs that are not just sustainable but are also functional and available in shopper-ready formats at retail.
“A lot of our fall seasonal favorites like cherry tomatoes and peppers come in cardboard open pints,” says New Leaf Community Markets’ Kawamura.
The new and innovative designs of corrugated packaging provide improved ventilation via vent slots and flute selection, retail-ready designs that ship as in-store displays, and recyclable mono material or low-film coatings to balance moisture protection with recyclability.
Paperboard involves carving out its own niche, in the case of lighter-weight, high-visibility applications where cost and merchandising matter. The use of any product is basically based on the weight of the package and the better protection the corrugated provides for the product.
The new and innovative designs in corrugated packaging also help to lower various barriers to adoption, along with protecting product integrity. NNZ has been licensed to sell the Pop-Up Pack, which is like the banded tray but requires no machinery to start.
The category majorly observes innovation in the snack-sized category beyond the produce department, along with maintaining quality in smaller formats. NNZ’s “Snack Fresh,” a small paperboard snack-sized box for blueberries, grape tomatoes, or grapes, comes with a retail-ready display carton that doubles as its shipping carton. The uniqueness of this product is that it is meant to be displayed at the checkout counter, not in the produce section.
Various other formats integrating next-generation coatings to enhance performance by controlling moisture or providing oil barrier properties are also helpful to fuel the growth of the innovation.
“There are now some food-based coatings that do not negate the recyclability and are FDA food-safe contact,” says NNZ’s Greenfield. “One example is a Michigan-based company called PakitGreen. This coating maintains its beneficial characteristics while still allowing the product being coated to enter the recycling stream. Some paperboard companies have added ethylene absorption coatings to give longer shelf life right in the package.”
31 July 2026
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30 July 2026