What to expect in 2025 – 5 upcoming cold chain trends

Cold chain logistics refers to the logistics processes of handling, storing, and transporting perishable goods under temperature-controlled conditions aimed to preserve the integrity and quality from production to consumption, such as fresh produce, pharmaceuticals, frozen food, or other goods that are temperature-sensitive.

Following up on from what trends were predicted for 2024 to be part of cold chain logistics across the globe, it is that time of the year again when we look forward to what innovations will be prevalent in the coming months.

What will be the upcoming cold chain trends in 2025?

Most of the observed and predicted trends that were identified for the closing year are still valid and ongoing today, as they will take several years to develop and mature, but when looking into the trends for 2025 specifically, here are some updated details that can be observed:

1. Market changes: From a volume perspective, recent geo-political unrest has heavily impacted the market, which has influenced transit times and capacity availability. Black swan events had a compounding effect on the rest of the market impacting delivery times, and consequently the available capacity for ocean transportation. When it comes to cold storage (warehousing facilities intended for refrigerated or semi-refrigerated cargo) for example, these disruptions had some knock-on effects on stock availability and stock levels (particularly. in Europe). In 2025, geopolitical influence will also play a role in terms of trade relations and tariffs will be introduced, but the cold chain logistics industry seems to be ready for the near future. “From a capacity perspective, the market is prepared for what’s to come. There is resilience to cope with the changing demands and the ongoing (and upcoming) disruptions” says Roope Suotunen, Strategy Development Manager for Cold Storage at Maersk.
2. Stronger visibility: Higher quality insights are decisive for refrigerated products, and 2025 will see continued investments in software that can improve visibility on the whole supply chain. For temperature-sensitive cargo to be effectively monitored, uninterrupted data needs to be available, to deal with any disruptions or for simple location tracking and temperature monitoring.
3. New products: The rise of new items populating the markets such as plant-based alternatives to traditional protein (as well as gluten-free and other organic-certified products) are cementing its presence within refrigerated transportation. By 2030, the plant-based foods market could make up to “7.7% of the global protein market, with a value of over $162 billion in the next decade”, according to a report by Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) published already in 2021. These new products bring with them new supply chain requirements and are mostly coming from small-medium businesses, such as startup companies in Europe, Asia or North America, that are new to logistics and have less experience with the daily complexity of global supply chains. Currently, these businesses are on the lookout for expert logistics providers that can embrace innovation, have an extensive network to move their cargo safely, and can do so while maintaining the required temperatures. Being able to plan for a growing volume as this industry moves from niche to mainstream is also important for them, thanks to the strong demands of consumers looking for ways to change their lifestyle and/or their impact on the environment.
4. Upgraded facilities for storage: cold storage facilities are increasingly subject to inefficiencies through obsolete and aged constructions established 40-50 years ago. Ageing infrastructure is putting pressure onto the operators to modernize their footprint, hence 2025 will see continued investments directed at replacing and upgrading these facilities following trends like automation, higher sustainability, upgraded visibility and better integration. A tightening regulatory landscape is driving the phase-out of environmentally harmful synthetic refrigerants, such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and HydroFluoroCarbon (HFC), putting pressure on converting old non-compliant facilities, and increasing the sustainability of cold chain solutions.
5. Better distribution: Good vicinity to customers is very important. Usually, in international trade, cold chain facilities can be port-centric (which means closer to where vessels are and where trucks can easily reach). For exports, facilities tend to be closer to key production areas, which means closer to where the customer is harvesting (e.g. avocados, bananas, etc.) closer to the slaughterhouses (for the production of protein products), or closer to the fishing areas, etc. to be better interconnected for easier trade. On the import side, facilities can be also geared for import inspections, energy checks, and other services that are for example key for retail distribution. To satisfy customers’ demands within retail, 2025 will see bigger facilities being developed, more automation involved to ensure safety and efficiency, moving also into areas such as FMCG, and more, with new capacity building to upscale the present infrastructure.

How will cold chain logistics evolve?

Looking forward, disruptions and unforeseen events will continue affecting supply chains, but temperature-controlled cargo will not lower in popularity or demand. The global cold chain logistics market was valued at “USD 293.58 billion in 2023 and the market is projected to grow from USD 324.85 billion in 2024 to USD 862.33 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 13% during the forecast period” claims Fortune Business Insights. Ahmet Sayli, Head of Growth, Cold Chain Logistics at Maersk also confirms saying “cold chain has retained stability, as main commodities are food which are mainly impacted by demographic changes such as population growth. The need for solid cold chain solutions to serve the pharmaceutical industry is also expected to grow steadily”. A projection confirmed by a report by Statista showing that “revenue in Pharmaceutical sector is anticipated to exhibit an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 4.71%, resulting in a market volume of US$1,454.00bn by 2029”.

With this growth, 2025 will also see more businesses involved in cold chain logistics focused on increasing their partnerships with logistic providers to integrate their supply chains, gain better visibility and therefore gain stronger resilience for what next year has on sight.

Stay ready! Discover more 2025 trends that will affect logistics with Maersk Logistics Insights and learn about cold chain logistics solutions available at Maersk.