Dry molded fiber: From sustainability pilot to scaled commercial model
Published on 22 Oct, 2026
With DMF capacity now on four continents, the question is no longer whether fiber can replace plastic. It is where fiber can compete at scale. For brands, this creates an opportunity to move high-volume items such as lids and trays out of plastic now, and for converters, it opens a window to invest in DMF capacity ahead of PPWR-driven demand.
For years, molded fiber has been seen as a leading alternative to single-use plastics, yet it has struggled to scale beyond niche uses. Dry molded fiber (DMF) could change this as it addresses the two aspects that have held fiber back: cost and production speed.
Why fiber has not scaled
Sustainability alone rarely convinces companies to switch materials. Brand owners and converters will only move away from plastic if fiber can match it on cost, speed, and performance. However, traditional wet molding is slow and resource-intensive; pulp is mixed with water, formed, and then dried: a process that consumes large amounts of water and energy and limits output. As a result, fiber has remained more expensive than plastic.
How DMF changes the economics
DMF eliminates water from the forming process. Instead of mixing pulp with water and drying it after forming, DMF forms dry pulp into a fiber web, combines it with a barrier where needed, and presses it into shape using heat and pressure. For instance, Sweden-based PulPac, which pioneered dry-forming technology for fiber packaging, developed the best-known DMF platform and licenses it to converters.
Equipment manufacturers such as ANDRITZ and Optima now offer complete turnkey lines for DMF packaging production, while other developers, including Sweden’s Yangi, are developing their own dry-forming methods. The result is a major gain in speed, with reported cycle times of under four seconds and a standard coffee lid produced at up to 25,000 pieces per hour.
| Wet molding | Dry molded fiber |
|---|---|
| High water use | Very little water |
| Energy-intensive drying | No drying stage |
| Longer cycle times | Under four seconds per cycle |
| More steps, larger lines | Fewer steps, compact lines |
From pilot to commercial production
The clearest sign of progress is companies investing in production lines and supplying paying customers. Current projects fall into three stages:
- Several converters are ‘already in commercial production’. Malaysia’s HZ Green Pulp has been running the production of DMF coffee lids at full commercial scale since October 2025. Another licensee has completed final testing and runs a fully automated line at a steady 23,000 lids per hour.
- Others are ‘adding new capacity’. Foodservice packaging maker Dart Container is commissioning North America’s first DMF line. In April 2026, Future Materials Sweden ordered two DMF lines to mass-produce fiber snus cans, a high-volume category long dominated by plastic.
- A third group is ‘still in development’. In May 2026, Australia’s Zipform Packaging licensed the technology to develop a DMF meat tray that absorbs meat juices, which has passed early testing. Diageo has run a consumer trial of a fiber-based Baileys bottle, although complex shapes still need significant engineering.
A clear pattern is emerging: shallow, high-volume products such as lids are scaling first, trays and snus cans are next, and complex shapes such as bottles remain further out.
Barriers to scale
Faster production alone does not make DMF as cheap as plastic. Converters still need to invest in machines, molds, barrier coatings, and automation. Hawkins Wright’s 2025 market assessment compares production costs across molded fiber technologies, including equipment and tooling. In the end, the business case depends on keeping lines busy, since a high-speed line only pays back at high volumes.
Geometry can also be a constraint. Dry fiber does not stretch much, so deep products such as tubs, cups, and steep-walled containers can be more difficult to form than with wet molding. This helps explain why shallow products are leading the way. Deeper packaging must also resist moisture; grease; and heat, seal reliably on fast filling lines, and remain recyclable.
What to watch out for
Sustainability gets DMF onto the agenda, and regulations such as the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) add pressure, but cost will determine how far it scales. The signs to watch out for are whether DMF can match plastic on cost product by product, lines can hold full speed day to day, and more converters move from pilots to regular commercial supply. With DMF capacity now on four continents, the question is no longer whether fiber can replace plastic. It is where fiber can compete at scale. For brands, this creates an opportunity to move high-volume items such as lids and trays out of plastic now, and for converters, it opens a window to invest in DMF capacity ahead of PPWR-driven demand.
