Sealed Air
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA global packaging company best known for Bubble Wrap and Cryovac food-protection technologies.
Last updated October 14, 2026
Overview
Sealed Air is a United States-based packaging company whose history is closely associated with two influential packaging technologies: Bubble Wrap cushioning material and Cryovac food-packaging systems. The company was founded in 1960 after American engineer Alfred W. Fielding and Swiss inventor Marc Chavannes converted an unsuccessful plastic-wallpaper concept into a lightweight, air-filled packaging material. Their invention initially had difficulty finding a market, but it later became a commercial cushioning product and helped establish Sealed Air as a specialist in protective packaging. The company expanded beyond Bubble Wrap through international growth, acquisitions, and the development of materials for food, industrial, logistics, and consumer-product applications. Its product-care activities have included air-cell cushioning, expanding foam systems, padded mailers, surface-protection films, polyethylene foam, corrugated and molded-pulp packaging, and other protective formats. Its food-care activities, strengthened substantially through the Cryovac business, have focused on vacuum packaging, shrink films, case-ready meat packaging, food-processing systems, and solutions intended to protect products and extend shelf life. Sealed Air’s corporate history includes a significant transformation in 1998, when the original Sealed Air was combined with the Cryovac division of W. R. Grace. The transaction created a much larger packaging company and brought the Cryovac brand into the central portfolio. The resulting corporation retained the Sealed Air name after the restructuring. During the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the company added businesses and technologies through acquisitions, including Mail Lite-related capabilities, Instapak foam, food-packaging operations, industrial packaging companies, and later specialized protective-packaging manufacturers. It also acquired Diversey Holdings in 2011, although that business was subsequently sold to Bain Capital in 2017. The company has been led by several long-serving executives. T. J. Dermot Dunphy served as chief executive from 1971 to 2000, a period in which the company grew substantially in scale. William Hickey succeeded him and led the business until 2013. Jérôme Péribère became president and chief executive in 2013, followed by Ted Doheny in 2018. After Doheny stepped down in 2023, operating and financial leaders Emile Chammas and Dustin Semach served as interim co-presidents and co-chief executives before subsequent leadership arrangements. Sealed Air moved its global headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina, following an announcement in 2014. In 2023, it announced that SEE would become its corporate brand identity while Sealed Air Corporation remained the legal corporate name. The rebranding was intended to present the company as a broader solutions provider rather than only as the maker of individual packaging materials. Its business has increasingly emphasized automation, material efficiency, food waste reduction, recyclable or lower-material packaging, and packaging systems that reduce damage during storage and transportation. The company acquired Liquibox in 2023, adding bag-in-box and liquid-dispensing technologies for food, beverage, consumer, and industrial markets. According to the supplied reference material, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice agreed in 2025 to acquire Sealed Air for an enterprise value of $10.3 billion, with the transaction completed on April 9, 2026. Following completion, Sealed Air became privately held and its shares ceased trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
History
Sealed Air originated in an unsuccessful attempt to manufacture plastic wallpaper. In 1957, Alfred W. Fielding and Marc Chavannes developed a plastic sheet with a paper backing, but the product did not gain acceptance as wallpaper. They recognized that the trapped air between the plastic layers could instead provide cushioning and insulation. This insight led to the creation of Bubble Wrap and to the founding of Sealed Air in 1960. The company raised $85,000 in its 1960 initial public offering. Bubble Wrap initially faced technical and commercial obstacles, including air leakage from its bubbles. A later coating improvement helped retain the air and made the material practical for shipping and packaging. By the end of the 1960s, Bubble Wrap accounted for much of Sealed Air’s reported sales and had become the company’s defining product. Sealed Air began international expansion in 1970 by acquiring Smith Packaging Ltd., later renamed Sealed Air of Canada. In 1971 it introduced Mail Lite padded envelopes by laminating air-cell cushioning to paper. In 1973 it introduced Ply-Mask, a pressure-sensitive polyethylene surface-protection film that was not based on bubble technology. The company also entered Europe through an investment in the French manufacturer Sibco Universal and subsequently acquired the remaining interest. The company broadened its protective-packaging portfolio through the acquisition of Instapak in 1977. Instapak uses expanding polyurethane foam to conform to a product and fill empty space in a shipping container. Further acquisitions included Cellu Products and Dri-Loc in 1983, Jiffy in 1987, Sentinel in 1991, Trigon Packaging in 1993, and Shurtuff, Hereford Paper, Allied Products, Sup-Air-Pack, Fill Air, and other regional packaging businesses during the early and mid-1990s. A major corporate change occurred in 1998, when Sealed Air was merged with the Cryovac division of W. R. Grace in a stock transaction reported at approximately $4.9 billion. The resulting company incorporated the Cryovac food-packaging franchise and operated under the Sealed Air name after the restructuring. In 2002, the company agreed to pay $728 million to W. R. Grace Company-Conn to settle allegations related to bankruptcy and fraud claims arising from the earlier corporate transaction. The company continued to expand through acquisitions. It purchased Dolphin Packaging in 2000 to strengthen its European customer coverage and acquired Diversey Holdings in 2011. Diversey was later sold to Bain Capital in 2017. Sealed Air subsequently acquired Fagerdala Singapore in 2017, Austin Foam Plastics in 2018, and Liquibox in 2023. These transactions added polyethylene foam, fabricated foam and structural packaging, molded-pulp and wood packaging, and liquid bag-in-box systems. Leadership changed several times. T. J. Dermot Dunphy was chief executive from 1971 to 2000. William Hickey led the company from 2000 until 2013, when Jérôme Péribère became president and chief executive. Ted Doheny assumed the role in 2018 and departed in 2023. Emile Chammas and Dustin Semach then served as interim co-leaders. In 2014, Sealed Air announced that it would move its global headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2023, it introduced SEE as its corporate brand while preserving Sealed Air Corporation as the legal entity. The company’s modern positioning has centered on integrated food-care and product-care solutions, operational efficiency, automation, damage reduction, food preservation, and sustainability-related packaging objectives. The supplied reference material reports that Clayton, Dubilier & Rice agreed in November 2025 to acquire Sealed Air for an enterprise value of $10.3 billion. It further reports that the transaction closed on April 9, 2026, turning Sealed Air into a privately held company and ending its stock-market listing.
- 2026
Acquisition by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice completed
[1]The supplied reference material reports completion of the acquisition on April 9, 2026 and the end of Sealed Air's NYSE listing.
- 2023
SEE corporate identity announced
[1]Sealed Air announced SEE as its corporate brand while keeping Sealed Air Corporation as its legal name.
- 2023
Liquibox acquired
[1]Liquibox joined the company, bringing bag-in-box liquid packaging and dispensing solutions.
- 2023
Diversey acquisition completed
[7]Sealed Air completed its acquisition of Diversey from Solenis, re-entering the cleaning and hygiene solutions market.
- 2018
Austin Foam Plastics acquired
[1]The acquisition added fabricated foam, corrugated, molded-pulp, and wood packaging capabilities.
- 2017
Diversey sold and Fagerdala Singapore acquired
[1]Diversey was sold to Bain Capital, while Sealed Air acquired Fagerdala Singapore to expand its polyethylene-foam capabilities.
- 2017
Diversey divested
[1]Sealed Air sold Diversey to Bain Capital and refocused its portfolio primarily on food and protective packaging.
- 2014
Charlotte headquarters announced
[1]The company announced plans to move its global headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina.
- 2011
Diversey Holdings acquired
[1]Sealed Air acquired Diversey Holdings, adding a major cleaning and hygiene business that was later divested.
- 2002
Settlement related to the 1998 corporate transaction
[1]Sealed Air agreed to pay $728 million to W. R. Grace Company-Conn in connection with bankruptcy and fraud allegations concerning the earlier merger.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
A global business-to-business packaging and automation company focused on product protection, food preservation, operational efficiency, and more resource-efficient packaging systems.
Protective packaging · 1960
Bubble Wrap
Bubble Wrap is an air-cell cushioning material developed from Fielding and Chavannes's failed plastic-wallpaper experiment. Its flexible pockets of air protect products from impact, abrasion, and vibration during handling and shipment. Early versions lost air, but improvements to the material helped make the format commercially viable. The brand became Sealed Air's signature product and remains one of the most widely recognized names in protective packaging. It is supplied in multiple grades, formats, and configurations for shipping, storage, surface protection, and industrial packaging applications. Bubble Wrap is Sealed Air’s best-known protective packaging brand. Its air-filled cellular structure cushions products against impact, abrasion, and vibration while remaining relatively light. The product is supplied in multiple grades, formats, and configurations for shipping, storage, surface protection, and industrial packaging applications.
Food packaging
Cryovac
Cryovac covers food-packaging films, vacuum packaging, shrink materials, and related systems. By removing much of the air surrounding food, the packaging can reduce oxidation, limit exposure to many spoilage factors, and help extend refrigerated or frozen shelf life. The brand became part of Sealed Air through the 1998 merger with W. R. Grace’s Cryovac division and is central to the company’s food-care business. Cryovac is a portfolio of food-packaging films, bags, equipment, and systems. Applications include vacuum packaging, case-ready meat and poultry, fresh foods, cheese, and other products requiring protection from oxygen, leakage, contamination, or premature spoilage. The portfolio supports food processors, retailers, and distribution networks. Cryovac covers food-packaging films, bags, equipment, vacuum packaging, shrink materials, and related systems. By removing much of the air surrounding food, the packaging can reduce oxidation, limit exposure to many spoilage factors, and help extend refrigerated or frozen shelf life. Applications include vacuum packaging, case-ready meat and poultry, fresh foods, cheese, and other products requiring protection from oxygen, leakage, contamination, or premature spoilage. The brand became part of Sealed Air through the 1998 merger with W. R. Grace's Cryovac division and is central to the company's food-care business, supporting food processors, retailers, and distribution networks.
Protective shipping packaging · 1971
Mail Lite
Mail Lite padded envelopes combine paper or an outer film structure with air-cell cushioning. They are designed for mailing and parcel delivery of small, fragile, or scratch-sensitive goods while keeping the package relatively light. The product was introduced in the early international expansion period and helped extend Sealed Air's cushioning technology into a ready-to-use shipping format.
Expanding foam packaging · 1977
Instapak
Instapak is an expanding polyurethane-foam packaging system. The foam can be produced in a bag or other controlled format and expands around an item, forming a fitted cushion while occupying unused space in a shipping container. It is used for fragile, irregularly shaped, or high-value products that require more tailored protection than loose-fill or standard sheet cushioning. The systems serve industrial, electronics, medical, retail, and e-commerce fulfillment applications. Instapak systems create custom-fit foam cushioning around products at the point of packing. They are used where conventional stock cushioning may be inefficient or where products require a close-fitting protective package. The systems serve industrial, electronics, medical, retail, and e-commerce fulfillment applications.
Liquid packaging
Liquibox
Liquibox provides bag-in-box packaging and dispensing systems for liquids. Its solutions serve fresh food, beverages, consumer products, and industrial applications. Flexible bags placed inside protective outer containers can reduce packaging weight and support efficient storage, transport, and dispensing. Liquibox became part of Sealed Air through the 2023 acquisition.
Packaging automation
Automated fulfillment systems
Sealed Air's automated packaging solutions combine packaging materials, machinery, and workflow controls for high-volume fulfillment. Depending on the application, systems can size products, dispense cushioning, form bags or cases, and integrate with packing lines. Their purpose is to improve throughput, consistency, labor productivity, and material efficiency.
Cleaning and hygiene · 2023
Diversey hygiene solutions
Following the 2023 acquisition, Sealed Air's portfolio includes Diversey cleaning, sanitation, hygiene, and infection-prevention products and services. These solutions serve food and beverage, hospitality, healthcare, retail, and institutional environments and complement Sealed Air's food safety and processing relationships.
Controversies
2003
Station nightclub fire litigation
After the Station nightclub fire, attorneys representing victims suggested that foam made by Sealed Air had been involved in the fire. Sealed Air paid $25 million in civil settlements, while the supplied reference states that the company did not admit wrongdoing.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Bubble Wrap appreciation and pop-up initiatives
United States · United Kingdom · International
Sealed Air and its Bubble Wrap brand used public-facing demonstrations and social-media activity to reinforce the material’s distinctive sensory appeal and brand recognition, while explaining its protective packaging function. Sealed Air and its Bubble Wrap brand used public-facing demonstrations and social-media activity to reinforce the material's distinctive sensory appeal and brand recognition, while explaining its protective packaging function. The activity supported consumer awareness of Bubble Wrap as a trademarked packaging brand rather than merely a generic description of air-cushion material.
Outcome. The activity supported consumer awareness of Bubble Wrap as a trademarked packaging brand rather than merely a generic description of air-cushion material.
Brand decisions
2025
Agreement to be acquired by Clayton, Dubilier & RiceM&ABackground
Sealed Air entered an agreement to be acquired by private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
Action taken
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice agreed to acquire the company for a reported total enterprise value of $10.3 billion.
Aftermath
The supplied reference material reports that the transaction closed in April 2026 and that Sealed Air became privately held.
Total enterprise value. $10.3 billion (2025 agreement)
2023
Acquisition of LiquiboxM&ABackground
Sealed Air aimed to expand its sustainable liquid-packaging and dispensing portfolio.
Action taken
The company acquired Liquibox, a producer of bag-in-box liquid packaging and dispensing systems.
Aftermath
The acquisition broadened Sealed Air’s offerings for food, beverages, consumer products, and industrial liquids.
2023
Adoption of SEE as the corporate brandStrategyBackground
The company sought to present itself as a broader packaging-solutions provider rather than only as the owner of individual product brands.
Action taken
Sealed Air announced SEE as its corporate brand while retaining Sealed Air Corporation as the legal name.
Aftermath
SEE became the company’s principal corporate identity, while brands such as Bubble Wrap and Cryovac remained part of its portfolio.
2023
Reacquisition of DiverseyM&ABackground
Sealed Air identified customer and operational links between packaging, food safety, sanitation, and hygiene services.
Action taken
The company completed the acquisition of Diversey from Solenis and integrated its cleaning and hygiene capabilities into the broader portfolio.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded Sealed Air’s addressable customer offering and restored a hygiene business alongside its packaging operations.
2017
Divestiture of DiverseyStrategyBackground
After operating with Diversey for several years, Sealed Air reassessed its portfolio and chose to concentrate more closely on food and protective packaging.
Action taken
The company sold Diversey to Bain Capital.
Aftermath
Sealed Air returned to a more focused packaging strategy until it acquired Diversey again in 2023.
2011
Acquisition of Diversey HoldingsM&ABackground
Sealed Air pursued expansion into cleaning, hygiene, and facility-care markets. Sealed Air sought to broaden its customer offering beyond packaging by combining with Diversey Holdings, a provider of cleaning and hygiene solutions.
Action taken
The company acquired Diversey Holdings. The companies completed a merger that placed Diversey’s operations within the Sealed Air corporate portfolio.
Aftermath
The combination expanded the company into hygiene and cleaning, although Sealed Air later sold Diversey in 2017 before reacquiring it in 2023.
1998
Merger with the Cryovac division of W. R. GraceM&ABackground
Sealed Air sought to combine its protective-packaging heritage with the Cryovac food-packaging business in a major corporate restructuring.
Action taken
The original Sealed Air was merged with W. R. Grace’s Cryovac division in a stock transaction reported at approximately $4.9 billion.
Aftermath
The resulting company operated under the Sealed Air name and had a substantially broader food-care and product-care portfolio.
Reported transaction value. $4.9 billion (1998)
Recent events
- 2026
Sealed Air became privately held after the acquisition[1]
M&A
The acquisition was reported as completed on April 9, 2026, after which Sealed Air became privately held and its shares stopped trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
- 2025
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice agreed to acquire Sealed Air[1]
M&A
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice agreed to acquire Sealed Air at a reported total enterprise value of $10.3 billion.
- 2023
Sealed Air announced the Liquibox acquisition[1]
M&A
Sealed Air acquired Liquibox, adding bag-in-box liquid packaging and dispensing solutions serving food, beverage, consumer, and industrial markets.
- 2023
Sealed Air adopted SEE as its corporate brand[1]
Other
The company announced a corporate-brand change to SEE while retaining Sealed Air Corporation as its legal name.
- 2023
Ted Doheny stepped down as chief executive[1]
Leadership change
Following Doheny’s departure, Emile Chammas and Dustin Semach served as interim co-presidents and co-chief executives.
- 2023
Sealed Air completes acquisition of Diversey[7]
M&A
Sealed Air completed its acquisition of Diversey, adding commercial cleaning, hygiene, and infection-prevention products and services to its packaging portfolio.
- 2022
Sealed Air launches and expands sustainable packaging initiatives[6]
Product launch · Other
The company continued introducing packaging designs and programs intended to reduce material use, increase recycled content, and improve recyclability across food and protective packaging applications.
- 2018
Ted Doheny became chief executive officer[1]
Leadership change
Ted Doheny succeeded Jérôme Péribère as chief executive of Sealed Air.
- 2018
Sealed Air announces leadership transition to Ted Doheny[9]
Leadership change
Ted Doheny succeeded James E. Sullivan as president and chief executive officer as the company continued its transformation toward more automated and sustainability-oriented packaging solutions.
- 2014
Sealed Air announced a move of its global headquarters to Charlotte[1]
Other
The company announced that it would relocate its global headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Sources9 sources
- 1Sealed Air reference articleen.wikipedia.org
- 2Baltimore Sun report on the Sealed Air and W. R. Grace settlementbaltimoresun.com
- 3Official Sealed Air websitesealedair.com
- 4Sealed Air official company overviewsealedair.com
- 5Sealed Air official leadershipsealedair.com
- 6Sealed Air official sustainability informationsealedair.com
- 7Sealed Air completes acquisition of Diverseyir.sealedair.com
- 8Bubble Wrap appreciation and pop-up initiativessealedair.com
- 9Sealed Air announces leadership transition to Ted Dohenyir.sealedair.com
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