Hybrid polymer-based materials for sustainable food packaging: Design, functional properties, and applications

The growing environmental burden associated with conventional plastic packaging has intensified the search for sustainable food-packaging materials that can simultaneously provide adequate mechanical, barrier, thermal, and functional performance. Hybrid polymer-based materials, which integrate two or more complementary organic, inorganic, natural, or synthetic components, have emerged as promising candidates for addressing the limitations of conventional biopolymers. This review critically examines the classification, design strategies, fabrication approaches, functional properties, food-packaging applications, sustainability aspects, and future prospects of hybrid polymer-based materials. Particular attention is given to organic–organic and organic–inorganic hybrid systems and polymer nanocomposites, together with fabrication techniques including solution casting, extrusion, electrospinning, and layer-by-layer assembly. The incorporation of bioactive compounds, particularly polyphenols derived from agricultural and food-processing residues, is also discussed in relation to antimicrobial, antioxidant, controlled-release, and intelligent packaging functions. Their applications in fresh produce, meat, dairy, active packaging, and intelligent packaging systems are evaluated, alongside key sustainability considerations including biodegradability, life-cycle assessment, circular-economy potential, and end-of-life management. Finally, the review highlights the major barriers to industrial translation, including cost, scalability, food-contact safety, nanoparticle migration, consumer acceptance, regulatory requirements, and process compatibility, and identifies emerging opportunities involving bio-derived fillers, machine learning, smart sensing, and scalable manufacturing. Overall, this review provides an integrated perspective on the development of multifunctional hybrid polymer packaging systems and their potential contribution to more sustainable and high-performance food-packaging solutions.