Molded fiber producers tout growth, innovations despite regulatory hurdle

July 13, 2026 | Katie Pyzyk

This article was originally published by Packaging Dive. Click here to view it on the website.

Molded fiber producers are approaching a bump in the road: A California regulation set to take effect in October could render their products unrecyclable. A trade association is working to round up data to prevent that end-of-life packaging barrier — “truth in labeling” law SB 343 — from stunting industry growth. Meanwhile, producers are pushing ahead to innovate in materials and production.

“We’re hearing optimism from our members about the future of molded fiber, and overall things are trending in a positive direction for our industry,” said Tom Hendrickson, International Molded Fiber Association industry affairs manager.

After conducting a survey earlier this year, IMFA released its inaugural benchmarking report in June. Nearly 80% of participants said they expected to increase production in 2026, and almost 75% plan to make capital investments to increase production capacity in the next two years. 

This article was originally published by Packaging Dive. Click here to view it on the website.