Footprint

Footprint's Farm Fresh fibre tray / Source: Footprint

BagasseBambooFood & BeverageHardwoodMoulded FibreNorth AmericaPackaging

WHAT WE SAY:

Sometimes it takes outsiders to shake up an industry – just think of how Tesla has transformed the automotive sector.

Troy Swope is the rockstar CEO of Footprint, and the ex-Intel engineer’s startup has seen incredible growth of its sustainable food packaging products. We’d like to see a little more transparency and collaboration, as the market for plastic alternatives is vast, but we champion Footprint’s goal of eliminating single-use plastic for good and making moulded fibre the new aspirational aesthetic.

Footprint's Eco Cooler has a 24-can capacity / Source: Footprint

ABOUT FOOTPRINT

Footprint creates a range of Moulded Fibre food packaging. The company was founded in 2014 by two former Intel engineers.
A mixture of Bagasse, Bamboo, softwood, Hardwood, recycled corrugated waste, newsprint and kraft is used for its pulp, which is then moulded into microwave meal packs, cups, trays, lids and more.
The company has secured nine patents that cover 125 inventions. One of its flagship innovations is its microwavable packaging, which can be heated direct from the freezer while remaining resilient.
The company’s clients include McDonald’s, Kraft Heinz, Beyond Meat and Dunkin’ Donuts, and reports that its products are on the shelves in over 4,000 retailers in the US.
On Earth Day 2022, Footprint reported that it had sold over half a billion of its stronger, longer-lasting, commercially compostable paper straws.
Previously focused on the US market, the company is due to start building its first European manufacturing site in Poland in the second half of 2022.
Footprint is expected to go public via an IPO in the first half of 2022, after merging with blank-check company Gores Holdings VIII. The merged company is valued at USD 1.6 billion.
In 2021, the company entered into an agreement with the Phoenix Suns, renaming the NBA team’s home complex the Footprint Centre. Footprint tests new technologies at the stadium, as well as working with the sports team to eliminate its single-use plastic.
In 2020, the company was named one of the Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, honoured on Fortune’s 2020 Change The World list, and was named a SEAL award winner for its commitment and progress towards environmental impact.