Footprint
Footprint is a materials science company that designs and manufactures plant-based fiber packaging to replace single-use plastics. It serves large CPG brands, food service operators, and retailers through direct enterprise sales, with manufacturing operations in the United States, Mexico, and Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersGilbert, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Footprint does
Footprint is a materials science technology company that designs, develops, and manufactures plant-based fiber solutions intended to replace single-use plastics. Founded in 2013/2014 by former Intel engineers Troy Swope and Yoke Chung in Gilbert, Arizona, the company sells proprietary molded fiber packaging products including Supermarket Trays, Leafy Tub, Cups & Lids, Shelf Stable Cups, Frozen Packaging, Consumer Goods Packaging, Eco Cooler, and Paper Straws, as well as custom solutions such as the GilletteLabs razor tray and Upfield plastic-free tubs. The core technology is plant-based molded fiber with proprietary process engineering and a patent portfolio of 2,430+ U.S. and foreign issued and pending claims covering material science, manufacturing processes, and product designs, including plastic-free cup liners, direct print-to-fiber capability, color-dyed fiber, low-WVTR coatings, and leak-proof tray construction.
Footprint operates a direct enterprise sales model targeting large consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, food service operators, and grocery retailers. Named customers include Conagra Brands, McDonald's, Tyson Foods, Beyond Meat, Sweetgreen, Molson Coors, Wegmans, Procter & Gamble/Gillette, Upfield, Harris Teeter, and Fry's Food Stores. Pricing is positioned at parity with plastic alternatives on a per-unit basis, with multi-year contracts on the enterprise side and consumer retail pricing for products like the Eco Cooler ($5.99–$8.99). The company also has a small consumer goods arm distributed through grocery retail.
The company maintains manufacturing operations in Gilbert, Arizona (corporate HQ), Mexicali, Mexico (148,000 m2 / 1.6M sq. ft. across four facilities), and Piekary, Poland (46,000 m2 / 500,000 sq. ft., opened 2025) to serve the U.S., Latin America, and European markets. Footprint employs approximately 1,600 people and is led by CEO Corey Berends (former Conagra R&D leader, appointed permanent CEO in September 2023) under Executive Chairman Don Thompson (former McDonald's CEO). The company raised approximately $447.6M in October 2023 SEC-registered exempt offerings and previously announced a December 2021 SPAC merger with Gores Holdings VIII that does not appear to have closed as a public listing. Footprint is a private company headquartered in Gilbert, Arizona.
Footprint firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Footprint
- Legal name
- Footprint LLC
- Website
- https://footprintus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Footprint is a materials science company that designs and manufactures plant-based fiber packaging to replace single-use plastics. It serves large CPG brands, food service operators, and retailers through direct enterprise sales, with manufacturing operations in the United States, Mexico, and Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Footprint industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Packaging
- NAICS
- Other Paperboard Container Manufacturing (322219)
- SIC
- Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Molded Fiber & Pulp Packaging (Trays, Clamshells, Cups) (IMAMAKAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Fiber-Based Sustainable Packaging (Recycled Paper, Molded Fiber, Bagasse) (IMALAMAA)
Keywords
Where Footprint is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gilbert
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Footprint business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Plant-based fiber packaging products: Footprint generates revenue through the sale of proprietary plant-based fiber packaging products including cups, lids, trays, bowls, coolers, and other consumer goods packaging. Products are sold directly to enterprise customers including CPG brands, food service companies, and retailers. Pricing is positioned at parity with plastic alternatives on a per-unit basis.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Eco Cooler retail pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Picnic kit retail pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Enterprise/Corporate pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Footprint product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Footprint designs, develops, and manufactures plant-based fiber solutions to replace single-use plastics. The company produces cups, lids, trays, bowls, frozen food packaging, paper straws, coolers, and consumer goods packaging made from plant-based fibers that are biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable. Products are sold at cost parity with plastic alternatives on a per-unit basis to enterprise customers including CPG brands, food service companies, and retailers.
Product overview
Footprint is a materials science technology company that designs, develops, and manufactures plant-based fiber solutions to replace single-use plastics. The company's product portfolio centers on molded fiber technology and includes Supermarket Trays for produce and meat, Leafy Tub for leafy greens, Cups & Lids for hot and cold beverages, Shelf Stable Cups for dry products, Frozen Packaging for freezer-to-microwave applications, Consumer Goods Packaging for various CPG products, Eco Cooler for active lifestyles, Paper Straws, and specialized solutions like the GilletteLabs Razor Tray and Plastic-Free Tubs for Upfield. All products are designed to be biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable while competing with plastic on cost and performance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Supermarket Trays Plant-based fiber trays designed to replace polystyrene foam trays for produce and meat applications. Feature leak-proof and snap-proof design with extended shelf life of more than 7 days. Sold to grocery retailers, food manufacturers, and CPG brands.
- Leafy Tub High-performance plant-based packaging solution designed to protect leafy greens with low water vapor transmission rate performance, enhanced water barrier coating, and retail-ready strength for distribution and stacking. Developed in partnership with Taylor Farms.
- Cups & Lids
- Shelf Stable Cups
- Frozen Packaging
- Consumer Goods Packaging
- Eco Cooler Plant-fiber-based cooler alternative to foam and plastic disposable coolers with 24-can capacity, keeping ice frozen for up to 15 hours. Reusable and compostable. Distributed through grocery retail.
- Paper Straws
- GilletteLabs Razor Tray
- Plastic-Free Tubs (Upfield Partnership) World's first plastic-free, recyclable tub for plant butters and spreads developed in collaboration with Upfield. Oil-proof, waterproof, and recyclable in local paper waste streams. Launched with Flora Plant brand in Austria.
Quantifiable outcome
- 61 million pounds of plastic waste redirected from entering the environment
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Footprint
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Footprint technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Footprint partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Taylor FarmscorePartnership to develop Leafy Tub - high-performance plant-based packaging solution for leafy greens. The Leafy Tub won IFPA Science & Technology Circle of Excellence Award, featuring low WVTR performance and aqueous-based moisture coating.
- UpfieldcoreFour-year collaboration to develop world's first plastic-free, recyclable tub for plant butters and spreads. Footprint provided material sciences technology; MCC provided labels; Pagès Group provided labeling equipment. Initial rollout in Austria with Flora Plant brand, targeting up to 2 billion plastic tub replacements by 2030 to avoid 25,000+ tons of plastic waste annually.
- Phoenix Suns and Phoenix MercurycoreLong-term partnership including naming rights for Footprint Center. Footprint serves as official sustainability partner, providing plant-based fiber food service solutions throughout the arena. Partnership aims to create carbon-neutral, plastic-free venue as living innovation lab for sustainable packaging.
- Real MallorcaminorGlobal partnership bringing Footprint's consulting services, sustainability products and options to Real Mallorca's stadium in Europe. Aligns with EU single-use plastics ban effective July 2021.
- Gillette (Procter & Gamble)coreP&G's fiber partner for developing plastic-free, color-dyed plant-based fiber tray for GilletteLabs Razor with Exfoliating Bar. One of Gillette's largest new product launches in a decade with millions of units produced globally.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Footprint competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Huhtamaki: Global food and consumer packaging manufacturer with a sizable fiber-based foodservice and retail packaging portfolio. Highly comparable to Footprint as both serve large CPG and food service customers with paperboard and molded fiber alternatives, though Huhtamaki operates across a much broader packaging portfolio.
- Sonoco Products Company: Global packaging company with paperboard, fiber, and consumer packaging divisions, including sustainable rigid paper containers. Comparable to Footprint in serving CPG customers with paper-based packaging, though Sonoco is a diversified multi-product conglomerate rather than a single-use-plastic-replacement specialist.
- Pactiv Evergreen: Foodservice and food merchandising packaging manufacturer producing paper, fiber, and molded pulp products alongside legacy foam offerings. Comparable to Footprint because both supply large foodservice and grocery customers with sustainable alternatives to plastic, but Pactiv is a larger, more diversified player.
- Stora Enso: European renewable materials company producing packaging boards, biomaterials, and molded fiber solutions for food and beverage applications. Comparable to Footprint as a fiber-based packaging supplier to CPG and food service customers, but at far larger scale and with vertically integrated pulp production.
- Novolex (Pactiv): North American paper and flexible packaging manufacturer with sustainable product lines including fiber-based foodservice containers. Comparable to Footprint in serving CPG and QSR customers with paper-based alternatives to plastic, though Novolex operates across many packaging categories.
- Sealed Air: Global packaging company with food and protective packaging segments actively developing sustainable fiber-based solutions. Comparable to Footprint in the food packaging and plastics-replacement space, but operates as a much larger diversified packaging incumbent.
Direct peers
- BioPak: Australia-headquartered company specializing in compostable foodservice packaging made from plant-based materials including molded fiber cups, bowls, and containers. Direct peer to Footprint in the plant-based single-use plastic replacement category for cafes and food service operators.
- Genpak: North American foodservice packaging manufacturer producing fiber and molded pulp clamshells, bowls, and containers as alternatives to foam and plastic. Direct peer to Footprint in the molded fiber foodservice packaging category.
- Eco-Products (by Novolex): Brand of Novolex focused exclusively on compostable foodservice disposables made from plant-based fibers including molded pulp. Direct peer to Footprint in the foodservice sustainability packaging category serving restaurants, universities, and stadiums.
Emerging players
- Earthpack: Provider of compostable and plant-based foodservice packaging including molded fiber and bagasse products. Emerging player comparable to Footprint's foodservice and retail product lines targeting restaurants and grocery chains seeking plastic alternatives.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Footprint social profiles
Digital presenceFootprint financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Footprint leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Footprint subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Footprint funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Footprint M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Footprint
What does Footprint do?
Footprint designs, develops, and manufactures plant-based fiber solutions to replace single-use plastics. The company produces cups, lids, trays, bowls, frozen food packaging, paper straws, coolers, and consumer goods packaging made from plant-based fibers that are biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable. Products are sold at cost parity with plastic alternatives on a per-unit basis to enterprise customers including CPG brands, food service companies, and retailers.
Is Footprint a public or private company?
Footprint is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Footprint founded?
Footprint was founded in 2014. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Footprint based?
Footprint is headquartered in Gilbert, United States, in the North America region.
How does Footprint make money?
One revenue line is on record: plant-based fiber packaging products.
Who are Footprint's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Huhtamaki, Sonoco Products Company, Pactiv Evergreen, Stora Enso, Novolex (Pactiv) and Sealed Air. Direct peers are BioPak, Genpak and Eco-Products (by Novolex). Earthpack is listed as an emerging player.
Does Footprint have an API?
No public API is recorded for Footprint.
What industry is Footprint in?
Footprint's product category is Sustainable Packaging. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMAKAJ, Molded Fiber & Pulp Packaging (Trays, Clamshells, Cups), with a secondary code of IMALAMAA, Fiber-Based Sustainable Packaging (Recycled Paper, Molded Fiber, Bagasse). Its NAICS code is 322219 and its SIC code is 2650.