Footprint US
4 known investors
Footprint develops and manufactures plant-based fiber materials and packaging designed as alternatives to single-use plastic. It works with retailers, CPGs, and food companies to reduce emissions and waste through patented fiber technologies.
Also known as Footprint Β· Footprint US
Investors Β· 4
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Footprint is an American materials science company that engineers plant-based, fiber-based packaging as an alternative to single-use plastic. Its products are made from inputs including double-lined kraft, newsprint, recycled cardboard, agricultural waste and virgin wood fibers, and can be compostable, biodegradable and recyclable. The company positions its output across food packaging, food service items such as bowls, plates, cups and straws, and protective packaging for consumer electronics.
The company designs and manufactures rather than only licensing technology, operating production facilities in the United States and Mexico and holding roughly 240 patents covering containers that keep food safe, including shelf-stable formats and packaging that can be frozen for up to 180 days. Publicly named customers and collaborators include Conagra Brands (fiber bowls), Sweetgreen (compostable bowls), Philips, Bose, Target and Foxconn. Footprint also produces a compostable paper straw, developed in the context of plastic straw bans, and entered a recyclable cup design called CoolTouch into the industry NextGen Cup Challenge. Recent company communications describe an expansion into PE-free cups as an alternative to plastic-lined paper cups and work on beverage packaging.
Founding story
Footprint was founded in 2014 by Troy Swope, a former Intel engineer described as an "accidental environmentalist," together with co-founder Yoke Chung. Swope had observed that outgassing was damaging Intel's products and hypothesized that plastic food packaging could similarly outgas onto food, which led to work on fiber-based alternatives to plastic packaging.
Business model
Footprint develops, patents and manufactures fiber-based packaging and food service products that replace plastic equivalents, supplying them to consumer brands, retailers, food companies and electronics manufacturers. It operates its own factories in the United States and Mexico and holds a large patent portfolio covering food-safe fiber containers, positioning it as both a materials science developer and a volume manufacturer for enterprise customers.
Traction
As of 2020 the company reported around 1,500 employees and factories in the US and Mexico. It supplied more than 100,000 plates, bowls, cups, hot dog boards and straws for Super Bowl LIV, has developed fiber alternatives for Philips, Bose, Target and Foxconn, supported Conagra Brands' shift from plastic to fiber bowls, and supplied bowls adopted by Sweetgreen. It also supports the marine conservation research of biologist Christine Figgener.
Latest developments
Company news items describe an expansion into PE-free cups presented as an alternative to plastic-lined paper cups, a Print Excellence Award for sustainable innovation, and work on next-generation beverage packaging beyond regulatory compliance requirements. The Footprint Center naming rights agreement with the Phoenix Suns concluded in February 2025, though the company remained a partner of the Suns, Mercury and the arena.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Footprint is a scaled participant in the fiber-based plastic-replacement packaging market, recognized on CNBC's 2021 Disruptor 50 list, with its founders named to Newsweek's America's Greatest Disruptors: Planet Protectors list in 2021. It has served as an industry participant in the NextGen Cup Challenge alongside Starbucks, McDonald's, The Coca-Cola Company, Yum Brands, Wendy's and Nestle, and has been the sustainability supplier for high-profile events such as Super Bowl LIV.
Footprint's stated differentiators are its patented fiber technologies β approximately 240 patents covering food-safe fiber containers including shelf-stable and freezer-capable formats β combined with in-house manufacturing at scale across US and Mexican plants, allowing it to supply large enterprise programs such as national CPG launches and major sporting events rather than only prototype materials.
Technology
Footprint engineers fiber-based packaging from plant-derived inputs such as double-lined kraft, newsprint, recycled cardboard boxes, agricultural waste and virgin wood fibers, producing items that can be compostable, biodegradable and recyclable. Its patent portfolio of roughly 240 patents covers food-safe containers, including shelf-ready packaging and formats able to be frozen for 180 days. Product technologies include compostable paper straws, biodegradable coolers, fiber bowls, the CoolTouch recyclable cup concept, and PE-free cups intended to replace plastic-lined paper cups.
Go-to-market
The company sells through direct partnerships with retailers, consumer packaged goods companies, food service operators and electronics manufacturers, and uses high-visibility programs β including supplying food service items for Super Bowl LIV, arena naming rights and sustainability partnerships, and industry consortium efforts such as the NextGen Cup Challenge β to build commercial relationships. Its website invites inbound inquiries from organizations exploring plant-based packaging alternatives.
Retailers, consumer packaged goods companies, food and beverage brands, food service operators, and electronics manufacturers. Named users of Footprint products include Conagra Brands, Sweetgreen, Philips, Bose, Target and Foxconn.
Geography
Footprint operates in the United States, Europe and Mexico. Its main base is Gilbert, Arizona, with a 135,000 square foot complex; as of 2020 it had factories in the United States and Mexicali, Mexico. In September 2021 it announced a European R&D center in the Netherlands that would also serve as its European headquarters.
History
Footprint was founded in 2014 by Troy Swope and Yoke Chung and is headquartered in Gilbert, Arizona, where it occupies a 135,000 square foot complex. By 2020 the company operated factories in the United States and Mexicali, Mexico, with around 1,500 employees. It joined the NextGen Cup Challenge in 2018 and supplied food service items for Super Bowl LIV in 2020. In 2021 it was named a CNBC Disruptor 50 company, announced a naming rights partnership with the Phoenix Suns for Footprint Center, and disclosed plans for a European R&D center and headquarters in the Netherlands. In December 2021 it announced a merger with the SPAC Gores Holdings VIII intended to result in a NASDAQ listing under the ticker "FOOT"; Reuters reported the deal at $1.6 billion in June 2022, and in September 2022 reported a 38% valuation reduction under an amended agreement with an upsized investment after listing delays. The Footprint Center naming rights deal ended in February 2025, with the arena temporarily renamed PHX Arena while Footprint remained a partner of the Suns, Mercury and arena.
Risks & controversies
Footprint's planned public listing via merger with Gores Holdings VIII, announced in December 2021 and reported at $1.6 billion, was delayed; in September 2022 Reuters reported that an amended agreement cut the company's valuation by 38%, though with an upsized investment, with the delay attributed to the macroeconomic environment. The Footprint Center arena naming rights deal ended in February 2025.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 10
launches, deals, and filingsCompany news item announcing an expansion into PE-free cups positioned as an alternative to plastic-lined paper cups.
Company news item reporting that Footprint won a Print Excellence Award for sustainable innovation.
The arena naming rights deal ended in February 2025; the venue was temporarily renamed PHX Arena, while Footprint continued as a partner of the Suns, Mercury and the arena.
Reuters reported that Footprint's valuation dropped 38% under an amended deal with the Gores-backed SPAC, alongside an upsized investment, following delays in the public listing attributed to the macroeconomic environment.
Footprint and Gores Holdings VIII, Inc. announced a merger that would result in Footprint becoming publicly listed, expected to trade on NASDAQ under the ticker 'FOOT'. Reuters reported the transaction as a $1.6 billion deal in June 2022.
$1.6B source β
Footprint announced plans to establish a European research and development center in the Netherlands that would also serve as its European headquarters.
Footprint and the Phoenix Suns announced a naming rights partnership for the arena, renamed Footprint Center, which included eliminating single-use plastic from the venue. The naming rights deal ended in February 2025, with the arena temporarily called PHX Arena while Footprint remained a partner of the Suns, Mercury and arena.
Footprint was included in CNBC's 2021 Disruptor 50 list. In the same year, founders Troy Swope and Yoke Chung were named to Newsweek's list of America's Greatest Disruptors: Planet Protectors.
Footprint supplied food service items for Super Bowl LIV, including more than 100,000 plates, bowls, cups, hot dog boards and straws, as well as biodegradable coolers.
Footprint joined the NextGen Cup Challenge in 2018 alongside Starbucks, McDonald's, The Coca-Cola Company, Yum Brands, Wendy's and Nestle to identify a recyclable cup design; its entry, CoolTouch, debuted during Climate Week.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
βΈResearch sources Β· 7
primary sources listed
- Footprint USfootprintus.com Β· web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Footprint US do?
- Footprint is a US materials science company making patented plant-based fiber packaging to replace single-use plastic.
- Who are Footprint US's investors?
- Footprint US's investors include Cleveland Avenue, Second Avenue Partners, Impact Engine, S2G Investments.