Innovation investment in biodegradable and compostable packaging materials has degraded significantly, according to the latest patent data* reported by Appleyard Lees.
From an all-time high of more than 1,000 annual patent filings in 2021, the subsequent two years each recorded just three-quarters of the previous peak activity (2022 = 824 filings; 2023 = 821 filings). And this fall followed an unprecedented 150% growth in the previous half-decade (from 436 in 2017 to 1,087 in 2021).
These are among the findings in the fifth annual edition of the now-published Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report** from the leading intellectual property firm.
David Jasiewicz, European and UK Patent Attorney at Appleyard Lees, said: “This dip may reflect the global economic downturn, reducing appetite for riskier, emerging technologies.
“Also, commercialisation bottlenecks including costs, scale-up challenges and uncertainty about consumer uptake might have caused companies to pause their investment in this area of innovation.”
Appleyard Lees’ analysis also points to businesses possibly refocusing on more mature and infrastructure compatible recyclability and reuse model, therefore reallocating resources from compostables.
Bioplastics innovation makes a modest comeback while wood-derived wains and seaweed soars
Patent filing activity for the alternatives to plastic packaging – namely bioplastics and paper/wood – took different trajectories in the 2023 data: bioplastics recovered slightly (from 306 in 2022 to 335 in 2023) after a 30% fall (from 435 in 2021), while paper/wood has continued to fall (a more than 40% drop from peaks of 228 filings in 2020/2021 to 132 in 2023).
The latest bioplastic packaging inventions feature water soluble bioplastic films or with gas barrier properties, with the top patent filing companies being Japanese: Mitsubishi Chem Corp and Kuraray Co.
Meanwhile, innovation in seaweed-based packaging saw its second highest-ever year for patent activity, recording 35 applications in 2023.
Countries and companies
While the global picture for packaging innovation shows a decline across previously-active countries and continents – including South Korea, Europe and Japan – the exception is India.
Since 2019, when the country’s patent filings for biodegradable or compostable packaging totalled 27, activity has since increased by almost 300% to 107 in 2023. This surge – now placing India in third place for global filings, ahead of Japan and the US – is coming mostly from academic institutions and likely driven by the country’s ban on some single-use plastics in 2022 and its growing consumer market, with resulting demand for sustainable packing solutions.
Technologies pioneered primarily in Indian universities include plastic films made from rice husks, biodegradable food packaging, tableware, planting pots and materials for water treatment. Indian multinational company, UPL, is the number one patent filer and the only non-academic organisation in the top 10.
*Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report – Fifth Edition, examines patent filing data through 31 Dec 2023, the latest date complete filing data is available from public sources.
**Appleyard Lees’ Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report – Fifth Edition is available to read here.