Eco-Friendly Food Packaging Materials Based on Natural Polymer/Fiber Composites

The increase in environmental concerns about plastic packaging necessitates a shift from petroleum-derived polymers to biodegradable, biocompatible, and renewable packaging materials, which provides a sustainable pathway to reducing environmental as well as health-related concerns. To address these concerns, recent research focuses on natural biopolymers, including pectin, cellulose, lignin, and starch, which are successfully obtained from natural resources such as agro waste, fruit waste, vegetable waste, and their by-products. This review investigates the current state of naturally derived polymers/fibers for packaging, focusing on the most utilized raw materials and different fabrication methods with their unique functionalities and barrier properties, as well as potential scalability. These natural polymer- and fiber-based packaging materials exhibit tunable biocompatibility, barrier properties, enhanced antimicrobial activity, nano-reinforcements, and increased shelf-life for perishables. In addition, life cycle assessment, techno-circular economy perspectives and end-of-life scenarios, challenges, knowledge gaps, and future research directions are explored in detail.