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The cold chain sector will continue to grow with demand for temperature-controlled cargo stable even amid disruptions and unforeseen events that will continue to impact supply chains, according to Maersk’s recent Logistics Insight
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The article identified trends such as market changes, continued investment in software, and emergence of new products
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Other trends are equipment upgrade and need for better distribution
The cold chain sector will continue to grow with demand for temperature-controlled cargo stable even amid disruptions and unforeseen events that will continue to impact supply chains, according to Maersk’s recent Logistics Insight, which identified five trends in the cold chain sector for 2025.
“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,” Ahmet Sayli, head of growth, cold chain logistics at Maersk, noted in the blog written by Silvia La Face, Maersk’s .
The first trend has to do with market changes, with the article noting “recent geo-physical unrest has heavily impacted the market,” influencing 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,” the article added.
For cold storage, the disruptions had “knock-on effects on stock availability and stock levels,” notably in Europe.
This year “the cold chain logistics industry seems to be ready” even as “geopolitical influence will play a role in terms of trade relations and tariffs will be introduced.“
Roope Suotunen, Strategy Development Manager for Cold Storage at Maersk, said: “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.”
A second trend this new year is “continued investments in software that can improve visibility on the whole supply chain.” Uninterrupted data must be available for temperature-sensitive cargo to be effectively monitored. This allows for easy dealing with any disruptions or for simple location tracking and temperature monitoring.
A third cold chain trend is the rise of new products in the market such as plant-based alternatives to traditional protein, including gluten-free and other organic-certified products. The Maersk report cited a 2021 report from Bloomberg Intelligence which said that by 2030, plant-based foods could make up to 7.7% of the global protein market, valued at more than $162 billion.
Along with new products are new supply chain requirements mostly from small and medium businesses, startups from Europe, Asia, or North America new to logistics and with less experience with global supply chains, the Maersk article said, and that would need expert logistics providers.
The need for an upgrade of facilities is the fourth trend. Maersk said cold storage facilities are “subject to inefficiencies through obsolete and aged constructions established 40-50 years ago.”
Thus, 2025 will see continued investments aimed at replacing and upgrading facilities in keeping with trends like automation, higher sustainability, upgraded visibility, and better integration.
The stricter regulatory landscape is pushing the phase out of environmentally harmful synthetic refrigerants like hydrochlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbon, putting pressure on converting the obsolete facilities, the article said.
The new year will see bigger facilities being developed, with more automation involved to guarantee safety and efficiency in order to satisfy customers’ demands within retail for better distribution — the fifth trend in the sector.
The Maersk article noted Fortune Business Insights figures that placed the global cold chain logistics market at $293.58 billion in 2023, with the market seen growing from $324.85 billion in 2024 to $862.33 billion by 2032, a 13% CAGR during the forecast period.
A report by Statista noted that revenue in the pharmaceutical sector is expected to have an annual growth rate of 4.71% from 2024 to 2029, resulting in a market volume of US$1,454 billion by 2029.
With this, 2025 will see more businesses involved in cold chain logistics focused on increasing their partnerships with logistics providers to integrate their supply chains, gain better visibility and gain stronger resilience, according to Maersk.
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