In June 2026, Sealed Air and Yangi revealed that protein packaging innovation is majorly shifting towards formats combining sustainability, barrier performance, affordability, and industrial scalability. Hence, the brand has launched a dry-formed tray under the Cellera range to enhance sustainability and keep the proteins fresh and safe.
Recently, the packaging industry has observed major changes in the protein packaging industry related to concepts such as material, design, and barrier transformation. The industry is now realizing that sustainability is no longer a trend to be followed, but has now become a necessity, and hence, the industry is also being compelled by the regulatory authorities to keep a check on its packaging formats and make them more eco-friendly.
Sealed Air and Yangi, and draws on data from Innova Market Insights, “The most consequential innovation in protein tray packaging right now is not a new material in isolation; it is the convergence of renewable materials, genuine barrier performance, and industrial-scale manufacturability in a single format,” Hanna Rüdel, chief commercial officer at Yangi, states.
Innova Market Insights data also reveals a 2% increase in meat and dairy launches globally in the time period from April 2021 to March 2026. The launch is mainly led by Europe. The protein packaging decisions are majorly shaped by the regulatory requirements of every region, accompanied by high raw material costs.
Samantha Murphy, strategic marketing manager EMEA, at Sealed Air, says: “Regulatory requirements, like the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), and consumer demand for more eco-conscious products, are driving strong interest in sustainable protein packaging innovations.”
“However, demand is being held back by rising operating costs and tighter margins. The challenge when it comes to changing packaging is managing the impact on retail selling prices, especially in price-sensitive markets where raw material prices are high and volatile.”
Yangi and Sealed Air aim to make an ideal balance between characteristics of the packaging, such as affordability, shelf life, sustainability, and consumer convenience. The factors are vital to consider as the stats of Innova Market Insights state that 69% of consumers feel that packaging plays an important role in case of meat products.
For Yangi, protein packaging innovation has a deep and intact relation with the rise of fiber-based packaging. Rüdel says that fiber-based options have been discussed for years, with early iterations featuring laminated paperboard. According to Innova Market Insights, there was a 139% CAGR growth in molded fiber packaging launches for meat, dairy, and their alternatives globally from April 2021 to March 2026.
Wet-molded fiber is one way to achieve fiber-based packaging, and it has gained some industry intrigue, but Rüdel says that the innovation was shown to have “significant limitations in surface quality, dimensional precision, and throughput.”
The Cellera range launched by Yangi features dry-formed fiber, combining airlaid fiber technology along with 3D thermoforming, which helps eliminate the wet pulp stage.
“It is a fully integrated dry forming system with 4.3-second cycle times (product-dependent), precision dual-drum airlaid formation,” she adds.
“The proprietary FiberIQ fiber formation system, which enables layered fiber architecture and precision pad transfer, delivering the structural strength and surface consistency that food applications require.”
Rüdel explains that the emergence of fiber-based tray solutions compatible with modified atmospheric packaging for fresh protein products highlights how the industry has “moved beyond” material substitution toward “formats that can carry the full performance burden of the plastic tray.”
The Innova Market Insights data highlights that plastic was the highest used material in the protein packaging industry from April 2025 to March 2026, with 55%, followed by carton 20% and cardboard at 6%.
Sealed Air’s Murphy states that a major shift in the protein packaging industry in the current times reflects its movement away from the tray and lid system.
“We’re increasingly working with retailers and processors to replace this long-standing packaging system with Cryovac brand MonoPP Flowpack, a range of flexible, high-barrier rollstock and films, which are certified as recyclable by Cyclos-HTP Institute,” states Murphy.
The Innova Market Insights data also reveal various formats of protein packaging. The data reveals that standard tray leads the protein product launches globally between April 2025 and March 2026, with flat pouches coming in second.
Murphy continues: “Tray-and-lid systems in fresh meat have been around for about four to five decades, and have stood the test of time because of their structural integrity. We’re now seeing growing demand to eliminate trays to support regulatory compliance, reduce costs, and use less packaging.”
She gives the example of the UK’s packaging EPR, which applies fees according to material type and weight. In this case, “it can make huge commercial sense to remove rigid plastic trays from fresh meat packaging.”
“Similarly, reducing overall pack size by replacing a tray with a flexible, high-barrier film may support future compliance with the PPWR in the EU.”
31 July 2026
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