Innovations in Sustainable Food Packaging and Bioactive-Functional Materials from Food Waste Streams

The global demand for sustainable, safe, and functional food packaging is driving research into innovative materials derived from renewable and waste resources. Traditional petroleum-based plastics pose significant environmental challenges, including non-biodegradability, microplastic formation, and carbon footprint concerns. Simultaneously, the food industry generates vast amounts of byproducts and waste streams, which contain valuable polysaccharides, proteins, and bioactive compounds that can be repurposed into functional packaging materials. Recent advances in material science, green processing technologies, and bioactive incorporation have enabled the development of edible, biodegradable, and compostable packaging solutions that not only reduce environmental impact but also extend shelf-life and improve food safety. This Research Topic focuses on bridging food waste valorization with sustainable packaging innovation, encompassing material design, functionalization, manufacturing, performance evaluation, and circular economy considerations.

The widespread use of conventional plastic packaging has created severe environmental and health challenges, including persistent waste, microplastic pollution, and high carbon emissions. Concurrently, food processing industries generate substantial amounts of byproducts and waste streams rich in polysaccharides, proteins, and other bioactive compounds, which remain largely underutilized. This Research Topic aims to address the dual challenge of reducing plastic dependency while valorizing food waste for sustainable packaging solutions. We seek to explore innovative approaches to transform food-derived biopolymers into edible, biodegradable, or compostable materials with functional properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, or smart indicator capabilities. Contributions may include novel material formulations, green and scalable processing techniques, performance evaluation, safety assessment, and techno-economic or life-cycle analyses. By promoting interdisciplinary research and collaboration across food science, material science, and environmental sustainability, this Research Topic intends to provide a platform for developing practical, circular, and safe packaging alternatives that reduce environmental impact, enhance food quality, and foster innovation in sustainable food systems.

This Research Topic provides added value by directly linking food-waste valorization with the development of sustainable, functional packaging two areas that are typically explored independently. By focusing specifically on bioactive-functional materials derived from food waste streams, the Topic supports a true circular-economy approach and addresses both environmental impact and resource efficiency. It also encourages studies that go beyond material development to include functionalization, safety evaluation, scalable processing, and life-cycle or techno-economic assessments, which remain underrepresented in current literature. This integrated perspective will enable researchers across food science, materials science, and environmental sustainability to collaborate on solutions that are practical, industry-relevant, and aligned with global sustainability goals.

This Research Topic focuses on innovations in sustainable, non-plastic, edible, and biodegradable packaging derived from food waste streams. We invite contributions that explore material innovation using polysaccharides, proteins, and composites (e.g., cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, chitosan, zein, caseinates, starches, protein–polysaccharide composites) and bio-based coatings or barriers. Manuscripts addressing functionalization with bioactive additives (antimicrobials, antioxidants), performance evaluation (mechanical, barrier, migration, allergen management), processing and manufacturing techniques (extrusion, casting, electrospinning, 3D printing, crosslinking, green solvents), and end-of-life strategies (compostability, biodegradation, recyclability) are encouraged. Contributions may also cover techno-economic and environmental assessments, supply chain integration, regulatory compliance, consumer acceptance, and design for circularity.

We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Perspectives, Short Communications, Methods papers, and Policy Briefs that advance knowledge on sustainable food packaging solutions and the valorization of food waste into functional, eco-friendly materials.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Sustainable food packaging, Edible packaging, Biodegradable materials, Food waste valorization, Polysaccharides (cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, alginate, chitosan) Protein-based materials (zein, caseinates, starches) Bioactive compounds

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.