From plastic to glass: Kitchenware makers bet on a premiumisation trend

“In recent years, India has seen a clear shift towards health and sustainability. Consumers are moving towards toxin-free, durable materials and away from plastic due to rising health concerns, regulatory bans, as well as sustainability concerns," said Shreevar Kheruka, managing director and chief executive of listed kitchenware firm Borosil Ltd.

“There is a clear shift from plastic to glass and to healthier alternatives, which we are seeing across categories. When you give more choices to the customer, the customer tends to buy more items," he added.

For manufacturers, this shift is as much a commercial play as it is a response to changing consumer preferences. Glassware offers higher margins—industry estimates suggest glass bowls and storage boxes are typically priced 20–50% higher—along with more distinctive designs and a move away from plastic-heavy portfolios.

However, a mass consumer transition is far from certain, making the category’s growth as much a strategic gamble as an opportunity. Data also suggests that the glassware opportunity, while growing, remains relatively niche.

According to estimates from management consulting firm The Knowledge Company, India’s branded borosilicate glassware market, covering microwavable products, tumblers and storage, is valued at around ₹7,900 crore and growing at about 6.5% annually. Meanwhile, the opalware market—featuring lightweight, heat-resistant tempered glass with a porcelain-like finish—is estimated at roughly ₹2,000 crore, expanding at around 10%.

By comparison, the cookware market, including steel, non-stick, and cast iron products, is pegged at over ₹8,100 crore and growing at nearly 8.5%, underscoring the continued dominance of non-glass categories.

For the 64-year-old Borosil, which operates across all three categories, this push has resulted in revenues of ₹573.05 crore during the first half of 2025-26, representing a 14.7% year-on-year increase.

During the period, Borosil’s consumer glassware segment, which includes storage containers, serving ware, tumblers and lunchboxes, grew 27.4% on-year, making it the fastest-growing category in its portfolio. Its opalware business, named Larah, grew 7.8%.

While glassware has contributed to revenue, it has yet to improve margins at its listed rival, Cello World Ltd. Higher glass sales weigh on overall profitability, as the company is still waiting for volumes to increase sufficiently to yield returns on its investment in manufacturing.

Cello’s journey has not been smooth. It said its glassware plant operated at just 55-60% utilization in the first half of 2025-26 and had only recently broken even. “The good part is that they are no longer losing money. It is now broken even," said Gaurav Rathod, joint managing director, Cello World, adding that meaningful profitability would only emerge once utilization rises to 70-75%.

Though its revenue rose 12.69% on-year to ₹1,116.45 crore during the period, expansion in the category, the company said, is currently limited to incremental steps such as increasing the number of stock-keeping units from about 110 to 150 and focusing on import substitution in segments like tumblers and storage, rather than aggressive capacity additions or a sharp pivot away from plastic.

The glass ceiling

For direct-to-consumer brands, meanwhile, the material shift sparked during the pandemic has evolved into a design- and lifestyle-led category rather than a pure substitution story.

At Femora, the focus is on design-led expansion rather than adding new materials. “The material transition has already happened. What brands need to focus on now is moving consumers from a pure utility mindset to a more style-fragmented category," said founder Manushree Khandelwal, adding that demand is increasingly driven by differentiated designs suited to modern dining and living spaces.

At Nestasia, backed by venture capital firms Stellaris Venture Partners Susquehanna Asia, glassware remains a core category, with product development aimed at addressing safety and convenience concerns. “We realized that even when people switch to glass, they don’t want food coming in contact with plastic lids, especially while reheating," said co-founder Aditi Murarka, pointing to the brand’s launch of storage containers with tempered glass lids and silicone gaskets, as well as cookware made entirely of glass.

While Nestasia has raised over $12 million in funding so far, according to its latest available financials with research firm Tracxn, its revenues stood at ₹63 crore in 2023-24, with losses of ₹3 crore. Femora is bootstrapped and grew to ₹20 crore in revenue in 2023-24, nearly breaking even.

Tupperware—a brand long associated with plastic food storage in Indian households—offers a more sceptical view, arguing that the shift away from plastic is often overstated at the point of consumption.

“If you look at the market today, the share of glass products available in consumer stores is still very small. Consumers may say they prefer glass, but usability continues to drive purchasing decisions," said a senior executive at Tupperware, on the condition of anonymity.

Durability and breakage remain key concerns, particularly for daily use. “Many consumers who buy glass products do not come back to buy them again because glass is difficult to use every day and gets damaged easily," the executive added, noting that glassware is often reserved for hosting or special occasions, while plastic and metal dominate everyday kitchen routines.

Madhulika Tiwari, partner, retail and consumer goods at The Knowledge Company, said awareness is higher among urban classes seeking environmentally friendly products. Also, the willingness to pay for perceived quality, aesthetics, and safety is higher among urban consumers.

Premiumization can lead to profitability. However, to build scale and penetrate mass markets, players will require improvements in cost and overall supply chain, she said, adding one of the primary challenges faced by the industry is the limited manufacturing capacity, coupled with a shortage of skilled labour, which impacts the availability and pricing required for penetration to increase.

Over the past year, shares of Borosil Ltd have fallen about 29%, La Opala RG nearly 36%, and Cello World around 27%, according to Google Finance. In contrast, the Nifty 500 index has risen over 6%, underscoring the gap between companies’ premiumization narratives and market confidence in how quickly glassware can scale into a profitable, mass-use category.