Brijesh Patel: Why green packaging will define the next decade of business growth

For years, packaging was treated as a backend function, a cost centre designed to protect products and enable logistics. But that era is decisively over. Today, it sits at the centre of boardroom strategy. 

Across India’s industrial and consumer economy, packaging influences carbon footprints, regulatory compliance, cost efficiency and customer trust. Green packaging has become one of the fastest and most scalable drivers for business growth in many ways. It shapes brand perception, export readiness, and increasingly, profitability.

Industry reports estimate India’s sustainable packaging segment will reach USD 57 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of over 22%, outpacing traditional packaging demand, as brands align with ESG mandates and export requirements (Source: IMARC Group – India Green Packaging Market).

The country’s manufacturing and logistics ecosystem is expanding at record speed. Warehousing, cold chains, FMCG, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and food processing are scaling exponentially. Every unit of growth multiplies packaging demand and inefficient formats silently inflates raw material use, freight costs due to added weight, energy consumption, and ultimately adds to landfill burdens. Quite the opposite, well-engineered green packaging reduces freight weight, lowers energy loads, and cuts material intensity, directly improving margins.

Sustainability has moved from narrative to business imperative
Currently, India’s growth story is being powered by three parallel shifts: rapid industrialisation, formalisation of supply chains and tightening sustainability norms. Add ESG-linked financing, extended producer responsibility (EPR) norms, and global export standards to the mix, and it becomes clear why packaging decisions directly impact competitiveness. 

Global buyers now audit Indian suppliers for recyclability, material efficiency, and emissions intensity, making sustainable packaging a prerequisite for export competitiveness. At the same time, domestic regulations are nudging brands to reduce plastic waste and improve recovery rates. 

For sectors such as food exports, pharmaceuticals, and temperature-controlled logistics, advanced protective packaging solutions combine strength, cushioning and thermal stability can significantly reduce product damage and spoilage, lowering overall supply-chain energy intensity. Insulation-led packaging can significantly cut cooling loads, directly reducing electricity consumption and operating costs. In temperature-sensitive supply chains improvements in packaging performance of even 20- 30% can translate into substantial annual savings across large distribution networks. This is reshaping procurement conversations. Sustainability certifications, recyclability rates, and lifecycle performance metrics now feature alongside price in vendor evaluations. 

Innovation will redefine what green looks like 
The next decade will belong to companies that combine sustainability with engineering intelligence. The focus must be on high-performance: higher strength-to-weight ratios, enhanced thermal insulation, recyclable and certified materials, modular, adaptable, reusable formats and lower lifecycle emissions. 
This means moving toward mono-material and recyclable designs, reduced material thickness without compromising strength, reusable transit packaging and high-performance protective formats that deliver superior cushioning with minimal resource intensity. 

Forward-looking packaging manufacturers are already investing in research and development, green certifications, and advanced production capabilities to serve evolving industry needs. Besides, businesses need not overhaul entire systems overnight. Incremental transitions like switching materials, or optimising design, can deliver immediate impact while paving the way for deeper transformation.

India’s unique opportunity
India sits at an inflection point. Unlike many developed markets retrofitting legacy systems, we are still building much of our infrastructure from scratch- new factories, warehouses, logistics parks, hospitals, and commercial spaces.

This gives us a rare advantage: the ability to embed sustainability at the design stage, rather than retrofit later at higher cost.

If packaging and allied materials are chosen with energy efficiency, recyclability, and durability in mind from day one, the cumulative savings over the next decade could be enormous — both financially and environmentally.

For manufacturers, this is also a moment to lead innovation domestically rather than depend on imports. The rise of locally engineered, certified, green materials aligns strongly with the Make in India agenda while strengthening supply-chain resilience. India has the capability to become a global hub for advanced sustainable packaging formats that combine performance with circularity.

A strategic driver hiding in plain sight
Large capital projects like new plants, renewable power, and automation are often looked at when companies talk about decarbonisation. While important, they take time. By contrast, green packaging is an immediate, strategic lever for cost optimisation, supply chain resilience, and long-term profitability.

In many cases, a packaging redesign delivers faster ROI in business than installing rooftop solar or new automation lines, still it remains under-prioritised in most boardrooms. 

However, over the next decade, green packaging won’t be a sustainability choice, it will be a profitability strategy. And the early movers will define the market. 
Brijesh Patel is the managing director of Aerolam Group