The 1970s

Throughout the 1970s we expanded our product portfolio to include Mail Lite™ shipping envelopes and with the acquisition of Instapak Corporation "foam-in-place" cushioning systems. We developed foam and system technologies to meet the packaging demand for heavier products that offered on-site, just-in-time protective packaging materials. Sealed Air expanded into Western Europe in the early 1970s and the Far East in the late 1970s. We also continued to foreshadow contemporary ideas of sustainability. Our 1973 Annual Report put forth the prescient notion that "the selection of packaging materials which provide better cushioning, lighter weight and reusability is a positive step toward meeting all three sides of a crucial triangle: energy, environment, economy."

The 1980s

The 1980s arrived and so did the floppy disk. Its role in data transfer expanded the demand for padded mailers. In turn, Sealed Air acquired Jiffy Packaging Corporation in 1987. In addition to adding polyethylene foam and other plastic and paper packaging products, we launched our first food packaging product by acquiring the Dri-Loc® absorbent pad line. The 1980s also marked the expansion of operations in Italy and Spain and the opening of a new Instapak® foam facility in the Netherlands.

The 1990s

Throughout the 1990s, Sealed Air’s business became increasingly global. New plants were opened in Germany and Spain. In 1998, Sealed Air purchased the CRYOVAC® packaging business from W. R. Grace, to create the world's leading protective and specialist packaging company. Starting in 1941, CRYOVAC®  brand food packaging protected food to sustain soldiers on the front lines of World War II. Since then, CRYOVAC®  brand packaging solutions have revolutionised food packaging worldwide with vacuum shrink bags, laminates, and case-ready solutions that extend the shelf life of fresh food.

The 2000s

The arrival of the 21st century marked an increased emphasis on growth and developing regions of the globe. Our innovations addressed the need for greater dining convenience, more energy efficient and environmentally friendly solutions, the effective movement of goods, and the needs of modernised healthcare systems.

In 2014, we announced our new global headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, relocating to a modern, state-of-the art, environmentally sustainable campus that became the headquarters for our innovation and development facilities and corporate offices. We broke ground June 2015 on our new campus, and employees began moving in at the end of 2016. We received LEED Gold certification for our global corporate headquarters and held the official ribbon-cutting for the new campus May 2017.

Today

Our proven history of innovation continuously drives change and will set new industry standards for decades to come. Advancing consumer trends have caused brands to differentiate themselves through visually appealing case-ready solutions. The global food supply chain requires extended shelf life and additional food safety assurance. Optimised packaging has created ways to use fewer resources, minimise product damage, and maximise velocity within e-commerce fulfilment centres. The modern era's on-demand lifestyle challenges manufacturers, retailers, economists and legislators in new ways. As a knowledge-based company focused on packaging solutions, we enable a safer and less wasteful food supply chain and protect valuable goods shipped around the world. We strive to be the global leaders in food safety and security and product protection.