Today’s consumers demand sustainable packaging, but not if it compromises on cost and convenience – according to a McKinsey survey from March 2025 of 1,000 US consumers. In the UK, the sentiment is similar. While it’s been widely reported that over 80% of UK consumers would pay more for sustainably packaged products, if stretched beyond the usual price (e.g. more than 10%), they would rather opt for the cheaper and less sustainable alternative. Therein lies the paradox. How do pet food brands package their wet or dry product ranges cost-effectively?
It is, to put it plainly, a loaded question. Pet food brands, much like other retailers and food brands, are now faced with packaging regulatory challenges such as EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility), the PPWR (Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation), and the ECGT (Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive). Now, brand owners must carefully balance profitability against sustainability and the cost-conscious consumer. of consumers agree that the responsibility of sustainable packaging should lie with brand owners and packaging converters, it’s clear that a considerable shift needs to be made in the pet food industry and its current infrastructure to make that happen.
Current state of play
Current packaging options for pet food range from stand-up pouches, gusseted and flat-bottom bags for dry food and cups, trays, cans and spouted pouches for wet food. While many packaging options offer excellent shelf life and seal quality, some are hard to recycle. For example, flexible pouches are one of the most convenient storage solutions for consumers, however they come at a big cost with limited kerbside recyclability in both the UK and US. These conventional petrochemical-based plastic packaging solutions are creating more waste than good, so much so that The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) partnered with rePurpose Global in 2025 to recover 250,000lbs of nature-bound plastic in a bid to protect our planet’s coral reefs and mangrove forests.
Regulations such as EPR and PPWR have been created with the sole purpose of reducing our pollution on the planet, incentivising those who innovate and opt for sustainable packaging alternatives. If consumers believe the responsibility should be on brand owners and packaging converters, then we all must collectively do our part to reduce, recycle and remove waste so that schemes from the PSC are our last resort.
Packaging as a visible differentiator
Recent research by Amcor has shown that up to 76% of pet parents in the UK and US consider environmental and ethical factors important when buying pet food. In support of this, roughly 54% of consumers surveyed as part of the Sustainable Packaging Report said they consciously purchased products with sustainable packaging in the last six months. This means that packaging is no longer just a container, it’s a visible extension of a brand’s ethical values, and early adoption of sustainable alternatives can be the difference in a consumer purchasing your pet food pack over a competitor product.
For brand owners, partnering with an insight-led, progressive packaging innovator can make all the difference. Sustainable, high barrier, alternative material options are available to suit a range of pet food products. For example, Parkside’s Park2Nature is made from PEFC-accredited plant-based resources (paper, eucalyptus fibre, cassava and corn starch) reducing reliance on conventional petrochemical packaging. As a compostable packaging option, it takes less than 12 weeks to compost in an industrial setting and 26 weeks at home. While our monopolymer PE, which is designed for ultimate recyclability, is a direct replacement for non-recyclable aluminium foil and PET mixed polymer laminates. Due to its excellent gas and moisture barrier properties, mono PE makes for an excellent packaging option for both dry and wet pet food.
There’s also no need to count paper out either. It remains a viable alternative for brand owners that are looking for that kraft artisanal touch. Barrier paper that is responsibly and sustainably sourced and certified by FSC or PEFC can be engineered to be suitable for direct contact with dry, moist or fatty products. At Parkside, our Recoflex™ high barrier paper is heat sealable on the coated side and offers excellent resistance to aroma, grease and mineral oils.
Time for action
The pet food industry has long followed and kept a watchful eye on the consumer food industry, but this cautious ‘wait and see’ approach is dwindling fast. Brands ignoring the packaging dimension of their ethical promise do so at real risk. As legislation and consumer scrutiny increase, the winners will be those able to unite the product and its packaging under a cohesive, authentic sustainability ethos. The time for action is now and those brands that are jumping in feet first do so with their heads held high. Profitability may come at a cost for now, but how much are brands willing to stake when the alternative means compromising their ethical values? Sustainable packaging is no longer an option, it’s mandatory.
