Is QSR Packaging Really Going Sustainable? What’s Changed in 2026 and What’s Next

Order from almost any quick-serve restaurant (QSR) today and something in the bag looks different. The foam is mostly gone. The straws feel different. The to-go containers look more like custom bakery boxes: sturdy, coated and printed with branding.

That’s not your imagination, and it’s not just marketing. QSR packaging is changing, moving toward recyclable, fiber-based materials. But the real story goes beyond “QSRs are going green.” It’s about what’s driving the change — and how the materials perform.  

Why QSR packaging is shifting from foam: regulatory requirements and corporate commitments

Several of the biggest national chains, including McDonald’s and Dunkin’, have stated in corporate announcements that they are phasing out foam and non-recyclable packaging, with major targets set for the mid-2020s. In practice, that means swapping expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam for plastic and fiber-based containers that recycle more easily, and sourcing more paper packaging from responsibly managed forests and recycled content.

This shift toward sustainability shows up across the industry, not just at one or two restaurant chains. Some operators, including KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, have swapped plastic wraps and bags for paper, some cutting well over a hundred tons of plastic waste a year in the process. Others have moved from foam to pressed paperboard trays and cardboard-style boxes, particularly for hot or saucy items that need real structure to survive a drive-thru window.

Regulatory requirements such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) have pushed operators away from plastic. Foam bans in states including California, New York and Washington gave them a hard deadline to requalify packaging. The shift has accelerated from there.

Molded fiber vs. pressed paperboard: what’s the difference for QSRs?

“Sustainable packaging” has become a catch-all that lumps together very different materials such as recycled plastic, compostable bagasse, molded fiber and pressed paperboard.

For a QSR operator, the difference between molded fiber and pressed paperboard is how each performs in real conditions:

• Molded fiber, the material behind most egg cartons and disposable bowls, is formed from a wet pulp slurry poured into a mold and dried. It’s inexpensive and compostable, but it has a rough, porous surface that limits how well it can be printed, coated or branded. It also doesn’t hold up as well against grease, moisture or a freezer-to-oven application.
• Pressed paperboard starts differently: a flat paperboard blank gets coated and printed first, then pressed into shape under forming dies. That order is what makes it hold up under hot, saucy or frozen food while still delivering the sharp, full-color branding retail and QSR packaging depends on. For dual-ovenable trays, that difference is the whole reason the format works. QSRs that want a more natural look also have the option of a brown, kraft-style finish.

Why QSR buyers want fiber-based packaging that performs like plastic

Fiber-based foodservice packaging overall has been growing at a healthy rate, and analysts expect that to continue as more states adopt foam bans. But that growth mostly reflects QSR and retail buyers demanding recyclable and natural-looking packaging that performs like plastic.

QSR packaging used to come down to cost and function alone. Now sustainability is a third factor, driven less by customer demand and more by regulators removing the cheapest alternative.

Pressed paperboard is built for that gap. That’s why frozen food, bakery and grab-and-go categories have been moving toward it, since the packaging has to survive real conditions, not just look natural and recyclable. It’s one of the few materials that can meet all three: cost, function and sustainability.

What to expect from food packaging over the next few years

Expect the shift to keep accelerating, and to stay uneven from one QSR chain to the next.

Some chains will select fiber because it solves compliance and sourcing in one move. Others that have already invested in plastic recycling infrastructure will keep optimizing that instead. Either way, single-use foam is on its way out.

For QSRs looking for food packaging without giving up plastic’s performance, pressed paperboard has become one of the go-to materials.

If you’re interested in exploring how sustainable paper trays fit into your QSR operation, get in touch with a paperboard packaging expert to discuss your requirements.