Ethylene Absorber Market Size & Outlook, 2025-2033

Ethylene Absorber Market Size

The global ethylene absorber market size was valued at USD 14.15 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach from USD 17.25 billion in 2025 to USD 84.8 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 21.89% during the forecast period (2025-2033).

Ethylene is produced by all plants and even in low quantities, causes fruit and vegetable ripening, softening, and degradation. Many fruits and vegetables shelf life and quality suffer the consequences of this during storage and distribution. As a response, removing ethylene from the production environment can assist in extending its shelf life. To remove ethylene, a small sachet containing an appropriate scavenger such as potassium permanganate (KMnO4), zeolite, active carbon, pumice, or other acceptable scavenger is included the packaging. Minerals such as these could be included in packaging materials.

Ethylene absorbers are used majorly in the cold storage and distribution of fruits and vegetables since most of them are extremely sensitive to ethylene gas. Ethylene gas, a naturally occurring plant growth regulator, can accumulate quickly in produce warehouses, making ethylene absorbers useful there as well.

In addition, the use of ethylene absorbers can dramatically improve shelf life, resulting in less waste in the supply chain and cost savings for suppliers and retailers. These absorbers can be incorporated into paper bags or corrugated fiberboard transit packaging for the storage and transportation of fruit. They can also be used as sachets in retail produce packets to extend the product's shelf life for the benefit of both the retailer and the consumer.

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Ethylene Absorber Market Growth Factors

Increasing Growth in Packaging Industry

The packaging industry holds the largest share of the ethylene absorbers market since most products are transported, stored, and distributed. A UN study revealed that nearly one-third of produce does not reach the consumer due to degradation in its quality over periods of storage, transportation, and distribution. The food packaging industry is constantly finding solutions to maintain the freshness and quality of packaged items. The packaging industry is adopting innovations to improve and maintain food quality.

In the food industry, for making fruits and vegetables available to a global market, the supply chain and packaging play an essential role in preserving food products' taste, odor, color, and quality. Ethylene absorber products are used as a part of the packaging of perishable items such as fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, and seeds and crops. It helps air filtration and ethylene gas control the packaged products and keeps them fresh. Likewise, the supply chain industry is rapidly enhancing in developing countries as the packaging industry is evolving. Ethylene absorber products' application in the packaging industry is growing with the demand for quality fresh produce.

Increasing Use of Ethylene Absorber Products in Residential Applications

An entirely new demand is created on the consumer side for the domestic application of ethylene removal products. At the end-user, a consumer is finding a solution for domestic use to preserve fresh produce. A group needs a solution to lengthen the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, including restaurants, homes, and small-scale retailers.

In addition, active players in this segment, like Keep-It-Fresh, provide packaging bags and devices to control ethylene gas in refrigerators. This segment has limited applications of ethylene absorber products. Still, it also contributes highly to food wastage, a potential reason to enhance the ethylene absorber product portfolio for consumers. Daily waste can be significantly reduced by applying ethylene absorber products, thereby driving the market's growth.

Market Restraints

Presence of Alternatives

There are various technical solutions for preserving fresh produce: oxygen absorbers, humidity absorbers, and ethylene scrubbers. For multiple applications, these products are used to maintain food quality and extended shelf-life. A moisture absorber is used for the storage facility and prevents corrosion, rust, and insect damage. Moisture absorber works as a vapor barrier and blocks moisture from the ceiling and walls from coming inside.

In addition, the oxygen absorber helps prevent orders and increases fresh produce's shelf life by absorbing organic molecules and other gases. Ethylene absorbers specifically absorb ethylene gas emitted from fruits and vegetables. In contrast, the abovementioned absorber limits fruits and vegetable production and sensitivity toward ethylene gas. Therefore, the better efficiency of alternative absorbers than ethylene absorbers restricts the market growth.

Key Market Opportunities

Growing Demand from Flower Industry

Floral products are ethylene sensitive. Many countries, like Australia, Netherlands, Europe, and Thailand, have million-dollar flower export businesses. Their economy depends on floral products. Storage and handling of a flower are very critical. Flower quality depends on its fragrance and appearance. In addition, most flowers are sensitive to ethylene gas, affecting flower quality. With the developing floriculture market, products explicitly used for flower preservation have potential growth.

The demand for flowers is expanding globally. The shelf life of floral products is shorter than fruits and vegetables. Ethylene gas exposure leads to leaf yellowing, dull color, and petal degradation, impacting the overall value of cut flowers. For flowers, ethylene gas is known as the death hormone as it affects the development of floral products and reduces quality. However, the development of ethylene elimination products for flowers is still in its early stages. Product development for flowers is a potential opportunity for the ethylene absorber market.

Regional Insights

South America Dominates the Global Market

South America is the most significant global ethylene absorber market shareholder and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 21.89% during the forecast period. South America has diversified agroecological zones that produce diversified agricultural products. It has shown substantial growth in the agricultural market and contributed to exports and fresh produce distribution. The region's agricultural production is mainly exported to North America due to free trade agreements strengthening agriculture export earnings.

In addition, some fresh climatic produce is a favorable atmosphere in South America that benefits tropical fruits trade volume. The agricultural market growth of the region drives the significant demand for the conservation of fresh produce. Compared to most parts of the world, the ethylene absorber market within the area is comparatively more developed since several fruits and vegetables, such as apples, bananas, and kiwifruits, are transported from South America to most parts the world.

Fastest Growing Region : Europe

Europe is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 21.33% over the forecast period. The countries dominating the Europe region for the growth in the ethylene absorber market are Germany, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, and Italy. European countries have dynamic and mature demand for fruits and vegetables, which leads to different opportunities.

In addition, European countries have a growing demand for exotic and tropical produce from external countries. It increases the need for conservation solutions in logistics like ethylene control technology to maintain fresh produce quality. This region has an internal and external trade network to distribute fresh produce, which is an opportunity for ethylene absorber products.

In various European markets, it has a prospective and lucrative customer base for ethylene absorbers. The region has a high consumption of packaged foods, thus driving the demand for ethylene absorbers. Additionally, as people become more aware of their eating habits, the region's consumption of fruits and vegetables has increased, favorably impacting the demand for ethylene absorbers.

North America is among the most advanced and technically developed agricultural production and conception markets. The North American free-trade agreement gives an advantage in tariff elimination and less restriction on export. It allows the agricultural market to grow and strengthens export opportunities for producing fresh produce handling. North America has the presence of market-leading companies such as AgroFresh Inc., Hazel Technologies Inc., and BioXTEND Inc. that provides a post-harvest solution for ethylene removal from fresh produce.

The food industry in the region is majorly driven by packed food products within the region. The region's overdependence on packaged foods drives the demand for the ethylene absorbers market. With the advent of COVID-19, the need for packaged food and food preservation technologies significantly increased, creating a demand boost for ethylene absorbers within the region.

Product Insights

The global market is divided into anti-ethylene bags, ethylene filters, ethylene sachets, ethylene sheets, ethylene pads, environmental control systems, and others. The environmental control system segment accounts for the largest market share and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 21.88% over the forecast period. An ethylene environmental control system is used for a large storage facility or container with a high risk of a volatile organic compound.

This system aids in limiting the development of bacteria, fungi, and microbes. It is used for various post-harvest conservation and logistics applications in the food industry. It also eliminates all the possible environmental damage to fresh produce in storage and reduces the ripening process of fruits and vegetables by controlling ethylene gas levels. In addition, it helps to remove odor and allows air circulation in storage. The system works on several filters that help maintain humidity and ethylene levels as it filters air to prevent dust. It is an effective solution to keep the physiological qualities of fresh produce in large amounts.

Chemicals Insights

The global market is bifurcated into potassium permanganate, sodium permanganate, alumina, clay, 1-MCP, zeolite, and others. The 1-MCP segment dominates the global market and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 23.36% over the forecast period. 1-MCP is the leading chemical used in the ethylene absorption of apples. It can absorb high quantities of ethylene produced by apples, thereby increasing their shelf-life.

Since 1-MCP's use in other products is limited, thus, research and investments for other applications are still required to utilize 1-MCP's commercial potential for most fruits and vegetables. The inhibitory impact of 1-MCP is substantially more substantial at 25°C than at 15°C. 1-MCP can slow the ripening of durian fruit and extend its shelf life at room and cold temperatures.

Application Insights

The global market is bifurcated into controlled atmosphere storage, ripening rooms, transportation/shipping, and residential. The transportation/shipping segment owns the highest market and is expected to project a CAGR of 19.33% over the forecast period. Freshness preservation is an increasing concern as markets develop across the country and worldwide. In contrast, ethylene gas is a ripening agent under controlled conditions, even small gas levels during shipment and storage cause the new product to decay more quickly.

A single propane-powered forklift might cause substantial harm in highly ethylene gas-sensitive commodities. If left unchecked, ethylene can damage an entire shipment in a day. In both fresh food and flower goods, even trace levels can cause detectable damage. Ethylene absorbers can efficiently lower ethylene concentrations and maintain product quality and shelf-life throughout post-harvest handling of the fruit, vegetables, and floral items, during storage and ripening, and shipment by truck or sea container.

End-User Insights

The global market is divided into fruits and vegetables, flowers, and crops and seeds. The fruits and vegetables segment is the most significant contributor to the market and is predicted to exhibit a CAGR of 21.38% over the forecast period. Ethylene absorbers for produce packaging are gaining popularity. Fruits and vegetables are pivotal in driving the demand for the ethylene absorbers market since they can use ethylene absorbers at almost all points of their supply chain.

Fruits such as bananas and apples are susceptible to ethylene gas since it is in the presence of ethylene gas that fruits and vegetables tend to ripen. Ethylene absorbers prolong the shelf life of post-harvest storage fruits and vegetables such as kiwis, apples, bananas, apricots, mangoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, and vegetable carrots, potatoes, and asparagus.

List of key players in Ethylene Absorber Market

1. GreenKeeper Iberia
2. Symphony Environmental Ltd
3. Bee Chems
4. Sercalia
5. SL
6. Lipmen CO. Ltd.
7. BioXTEND Inc.
8. SECCO INTERNATIONAL GROUP
9. Ethylene Control Inc.
10. Bioconservacion
11. S.A.
12. DeltaTrak
13. Dongguan Dingxing Industry Co. Ltd
14. Keep-It-Fresh
15. Sancopack
16. Isolcell S.p.A.
17. Hazel Technologies, Inc
18. AgroFresh Inc.

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Recent Developments

• January 2023- Greenkeeper Iberia participated in the free event 'Tech Stage' of Fruitlogistica (Hall 2.1 | B-43), held on February 9th. David Tanner, post-harvest technical-scientific advisor in New Zealand and collaborator with Zespri, delivered a technical presentation on the management of ethylene in kiwifruit and other fruit and vegetable crops at the event.
• January 2023- Fresh Inset and Janssen PMP decided to sign an evaluation and standstill agreement to test and develop Vidre+ on fresh produce and ornamental plants. Vidre+ is intended to preserve the texture, firmness, flavor, and appearance of fruits and vegetables during storage, transportation, and retail display by utilizing a delivery system that provides 1-MCP post-harvest freshness protection for fruits and vegetables in a sticker format.