From food products and cosmetics to electronics and pharmaceuticals, numerous industries choose sustainable paperboard every day. Specifically, paper-based packaging has emerged as a substitute for non-biodegradable and/or petroleum-based materials. Unlike such materials, paperboard is manufactured with renewable wood pulp from sustainable and certified1 forests — which are planted and replanted over and over again. Additionally, paper can be recycled about seven times, adding to its earth-friendly character (more on recycling in the following section).

According to Fastmarkets RIST’s 2023-24 Trends: Industry Outlook & Market Data Report2, “Plastic substitution and environmentally friendly packaging trends should provide a tailwind for carton growth… In fact, recent decisions by some of the largest fast-food companies and municipalities across the country suggest that paperboard packaging materials are poised to benefit from their environmentally friendly profile.”

One excellent example of paperboard substitution shined during the PPC’s 2023 North American Paperboard Packaging Competition: Graphic Packaging International3 took the Sustainability of the Year Award4 for its reformulated paperboard design for Unilever laundry detergent capsules replacing HDPE.

The forward-thinking packaging aligns with Uni-lever’s Clean Future initiative, focusing on sustainability in product formulation and packaging while promoting brand identity. Crafted from 100 percent recyclable materials, the carton design has a user-friendly opening mechanism that is both childproof and easily accessible for adults. In addition, an intelligent folding process and absorbent pad provide reliability and moisture resistance, and unlike plastic tubs, they can be efficiently stacked. Importantly, Unilever’s Life Cycle Assessment of the new packaging demonstrates a minimum 20 percent lower carbon footprint compared to previous packaging while preventing over 6,000 tons of plastic waste annually!

One of the paper packaging industry’s biggest strengths is recyclability. According to the American Forest & Paper Associations5 (AF&PA), 67.9 percent of paper was recycled in the U.S. in 2022. Additionally, according to AF&PA, 94 percent of Americans have access to community paper recycling programs, and about 80 percent of U.S. paper mills use recycled fiber.

Paperboard recycling begins both at industrial facilities and at residential curbside with the separation of paperboard packaging from other waste materials. This collected paper waste is then transported to recycling facilities, where it undergoes a series of processes to be transformed into recycled paperboard. The recycling process involves removing non-fiber materials, such as adhesives and inks, before repulping and processing the fibers into a new material suitable for manufacturing packaging or other paper products. The recycled content can be blended with virgin fibers to create a balance between sustainability and product performance.

We recommend that all packaging designers and brands review AF&PA’s Design Guidance for Recyclability6 when considering paperboard packaging. PPC and other industry stakeholders offered insight into the making of this tool, which was created from survey data of paper mills throughout the U.S. and Canada that use recovered paper grades.

For example, the Guidance shows that a wide range of non-fiber elements do not adversely affect recyclability for recycled/unbleached boxboard, including water-based and water-soluble inks and dyes, UV EB inks, water-soluble adhesives, clay coatings, varnish coatings, polymer barriers, bioplastic barriers, metals and polymer windows. Designers can and should use this tool to build sustainability into their packaging from the very beginning.