From fresh produce and coffee to chilled food and pharmaceuticals, Graphic Packaging’s quartet of wins at the AmeriStar Awards 2025 demonstrates what’s possible when smart design meets purpose and expertise. The awards, hosted by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IOPP), celebrate the very best in design innovation from around the globe, inviting packaging teams to put their creativity in the spotlight.  

Four innovations have been selected as winners, each addressing real-world challenges such as enhancing circularity, boosting functionality, or optimizing convenience.  

Boardio™ for Mother Parkers and Target 
Category: Food, Shelf-Stable 

Boardio™ was proposed by leading tea and coffee producer Mother Parkers as a replacement for the composite bags used for Target’s Good & Gather private-label coffee. This rigid paperboard canister is made from a minimum of 80% FSC®-certified fiber and reduces plastic by at least 50% versus the composite bags. It is certified as “Widely Recyclable” by How2Recycle, and delivers a reduction of over 10% in CO₂ emissions¹ versus bags. 

ProducePack™ Punnet Tray
Category: Sustainable Packaging

The ProducePack™ Punnet tray is a paperboard alternative to plastic trays for fresh produce applications such as berries, tomatoes, and grapes. It is recyclable in curbside paper waste streams and has proven to enhance shelf-life versus plastic trays through independent testing by Washington State University. It has also been demonstrated via LCA to have a reduced carbon impact versus plastic trays under certain conditions.

PaperSeal™ Shape for Pilgrim’s Europe and Sainsbury’s
Category: Sustainable Packaging

Developed for food producer Pilgrim’s Europe and supplied to UK retailer Sainsbury’s for their range of breaded chicken, PaperSeal™ Shape eliminates over 300 metric tons of plastic annually from the retail giant’s supply chain. It is curbside recyclable under OPRL guidlines, and thanks to its excellent hermetic seal, it offers equivalent shelf-life to plastic trays.

Medical Device Packaging for Mathys AG (now part of Enovis™)
Category: Drug and Pharmaceutical Packaging

Developed in partnership with Mathys AG (now part of Enovis™), this paperboard-only packaging system for orthopedic implants such as hips and knees includes an outer carton and a paperboard inlay with a unique honeycomb structure that adapts to the contours of the device. By replacing the previous polyurethane foam and consolidating components, the new format reduces SKUs from five to two, cutting complexity in sourcing, assembly, and inventory.

Carlos Carrillo, vice president, new business & open innovation at Graphic Packaging, said: “Every one of these wins reflects a real-world challenge solved. Our goal is to create consumer packaging that moves the needle for our customers in ways that matter to them, be it enhancing circularity, boosting functionality, or optimizing convenience.

“As welcome as awards are, they are never the finish line; what matters most is what we do next. We will continue to push boundaries, ask important questions, and deliver consumer packaging solutions that help brands move toward their goals in more meaningful ways.”

Explore how Graphic Packaging’s award-winning packaging supports progress across every sector, from food and beverage to healthcare and beauty: www.graphicpkg.com. 

¹ Boardio® commissioned LCA studies 2020