Graphic Packaging International (Graphic Packaging), a global leader in sustainable consumer packaging, has announced the launch of its next-generation Boardio™ machinery technology, offering enhanced multi-footprint capability that transforms how brands and co-packers approach Boardio paperboard canister production.

Brands and co-packers face mounting pressure to respond quickly to shifting market demands while maximizing their equipment investments. When capital is committed to packaging machinery, that investment needs to work harder, deliver more, and provide the flexibility to adapt as consumer preferences evolve, and the new Boardio machine multi-footprint capability does just that.

Boardio is a recyclable, rigid paperboard canister that provides an alternative to plastic, glass, and metal containers. Made from up to 90% renewable materials, it can deliver a plastic reduction of more than 90% versus rigid containers. Alongside winning 20 global packaging awards since launch, Boardio has replaced more than 50 million rigid plastic containers in 2023 and 2024 alone. 

The Proven Boardio Platform, Now With Ultimate Flexibility

The new machine technology takes a proven platform and adds format flexibility through the addition of modules. The new multi-footprint capability enables Boardio production in multiple shapes — round, octagonal, triangular, and square — along with variable heights, widths, and barrier specifications, all from a single machine. Customers simply select modules based on the degree of flexibility they require.  

For co-packers managing diverse client portfolios or large brands seeking to differentiate product lines and serve both large families and smaller households, this technology represents a significant operational and commercial advantage. 

Johan Werme, head of sales for paperboard canister solutions at Graphic Packaging, said: “This new capability addresses a longstanding frustration customers have had with traditional packaging; rigid plastic and metal canisters typically lock brands into off-the-shelf formats unless they have the volumes to justify custom tooling. However, with Boardio’s new multi-footprint technology, we’re putting format control directly into the customer’s hands. That means shorter production runs across multiple configurations, the ability to iterate designs more frequently, and the transport and storage efficiency that comes from delivering canisters flat rather than pre-formed. It’s flexibility that scales with your business, not against it.” 

For co-packers and brands alike, the technology ensures that capital investments in Boardio machinery deliver sustained value as market conditions shift, product portfolios expand, and the demand for more circular, more functional, and more convenient packaging solutions continues to grow. 

The multi-footprint enhancement is now available as an option for new machine orders. 

Most of us interact with packaging dozens of times a day. Yet every package represents a series of decisions about materials, manufacturing, design and what happens after use. 

Those decisions matter. Packaging helps protect items, reduce waste and keep the products people rely on moving through the systems that support everyday life. It also influences how natural resources are used, recovered and reused. 

So, what does “better” look like across the life of a package? 

Let’s follow the journey. 

Before a Package Reaches a Shelf, Where Does It Begin?

For many packages, the answer is a forest. 

Today, brands are increasingly expected to understand where wood fiber comes from. Responsible forestry is the backbone of the paper industry, driving sustainably managed forests, while ensuring a reliable supply of renewable fiber for future generations. 

Responsibly managed forests do much more than provide raw materials. They help support biodiversity, provide habitat for wildlife, store carbon and protect water resources, while contributing to the long-term vitality of communities connected to the forest products value chain.

What Is Sustainable Forest Management?

Many forests that supply fiber for paperboard packaging are actively managed through a cycle of planting, growing, harvesting and regeneration. 

Third-party certification systems such as SFI®, FSC® (FSC-C106260), and PEFC (PEFC/29-31-224) support responsible sourcing through standards related to forest management, biodiversity and supply-chain traceability. Together with regulatory requirements aimed at preventing deforestation and forest degradation, these frameworks strengthen confidence in sourced fiber. 

Supporting those standards are forestry professionals who work with landowners and suppliers to conduct field inspections and verify responsible forestry practices. 

Better by the Numbers

99%

of Graphic Packaging’s purchased forest products qualified as sustainably sourced in 2025, based on third-party certification (SFI®, FSC® or PEFC). 

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55 miles

average distance wood travels from forest to Graphic Packaging’s wood-based paperboard mills, supporting local forestry jobs, small landowners and shorter hauling distances.

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What Happens Before a Package Becomes a Package? 

Before a package protects a product, manufacturers are working to make the most of every resource behind it. 

Making packaging efficiently requires continuous improvements across the use of: 

• Energy. Packaging manufacturers are working to increase the use of renewable energy and improve usage throughout their operations. Sometimes that means upgrading equipment. Sometimes it’s recovering heat and steam that would otherwise be lost. 
• Materials. Rather than viewing waste as the inevitable by-product of manufacturing, a circular approach seeks to maximize the value of materials at every stage. This can include designing packages to use less material, recycling paperboard scrap back into production, repurposing manufacturing by-products, and using residual tree materials as renewable fuel to help power operations. 
• Water. Water helps carry fiber, generate steam and cool equipment. As a result, mills continuously look for opportunities to reuse water, improve efficiency and reduce the need for freshwater withdrawals where possible.   

Before manufacturers can improve operational efficiency, they must have an environment where people can work safely. 

“Safety and sustainability are both about taking responsibility for the long-term health of our people, our operations and our business. They rely on many of the same skills: identifying risks, solving problems and continuously looking for ways to improve.” 

— Jim Cline, Vice President, Health, Environmental, Safety, Security and Sustainability, Graphic Packaging

Better by the Numbers

66%

of energy used in Graphic Packaging’s paperboard operations came from renewable sources in 2025. 

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66%

of waste generated across Graphic Packaging’s global operations was diverted from landfills and incinerators in 2025. 

What Makes a Package Better?  

The choices made during design can influence a package’s journey long after it leaves the shelf. 

A package must do more than hold a product. It needs to protect what’s inside, work efficiently in manufacturing and distribution environments, meet retailer requirements, support brand goals, create a positive consumer experience and help keep materials in use longer.

Graphic Packaging’s Better by Design methodology helps evaluate decisions through three interconnected lenses: circularity, functionality and convenience.

Packaging design is also being influenced by a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Around the world, new requirements related to recyclability, material use and producer responsibility are changing how packaging is designed and evaluated.

Packaging manufacturers, brands, retailers, recyclers, industry organizations and policymakers all play a role in shaping the next generation of packaging solutions.

“Some of the most important packaging innovations emerge through collaboration. Advancing circularity requires input from across the global value chain, from brands and packaging manufacturers to recyclers, industry organizations and policymakers. Each helps shape what is both possible and practical but also ambitious to advance towards a circular economy.” 

— Elodie Bugnicourt, Sustainability Director International, Graphic Packaging

What Happens After a Package is Used?

A package’s story doesn’t necessarily end when it’s empty.

Once a package has served its purpose, what happens next depends on much more than the package itself. Collection systems, recycling infrastructure, consumer participation, end-market demand and package design all influence whether materials can be recovered and used again.

Packaging suppliers are incorporating design-for-recycling principles, testing packaging in real-world sorting and recycling systems and exploring alternatives to formats that are difficult to recycle. Industry organizations, recyclers and manufacturers also work together to help shape the standards and guidelines that influence how packaging is designed and evaluated for recycling.

When collection, sorting and recycling systems work effectively, today’s package can contribute to tomorrow’s paper-based products. In that way, the end of one package’s lifecycle can become the beginning of another, helping valuable fiber remain in use longer and creating another opportunity to make packaging better.

Better by the Numbers

96%

of products sold in 2025 were designed to be recyclable where collection and recycling systems exist. 

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5 to 7

times that fiber can typically be recovered and recycled into new paper-based products before reaching the end of its useful life.

Source: Graphic Packaging International’s 2025 Impact Report

SFI marks are registered marks owned by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.

Some of the industry’s most important conversations happen at PACK EXPO International.

PACK EXPO, one of North America’s largest packaging and processing events, brings together industry leaders from across consumer goods markets to explore the technologies, trends and priorities shaping packaging decisions today. This year, three themes surfaced repeatedly in conversations across the show floor: EPR, brand differentiation and manufacturing flexibility.

📍 PACK EXPO NEWS

ABOVE: Packaging Digest reported on Graphic Packaging’s AmeriStar People’s Choice Award win for EnviroClip™ Beam for Harry Brompton’s Peach Iced Tea. The recognition capped a strong showing at the event, where Graphic Packaging solutions earned three 2026 AmeriStar Awards, including wins in the Beverage, Non-Alcoholic and Food, Shelf Stable categories.

Trend 1

EPR Moves From Policy Discussion to Business Planning

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs require producers to take a greater role in funding and managing the systems that collect, sort and recycle packaging after use. While EPR programs are established in many markets, requirements continue to evolve as new legislation and implementation efforts advance around the world.

EPR was top of mind at PACK EXPO as brands sought to better understand how evolving requirements may affect packaging decisions. As packaging regulations evolve, companies are taking a closer look at how packaging performs not only on the shelf and through the supply chain, but also within recovery and recycling systems.

Material choice is increasingly part of that conversation.

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

“Paperboard brings together versatility, performance, and the unique advantage of a renewable resource. As brands evaluate sustainability, recyclability, total cost of ownership, and evolving EPR requirements, these advantages become increasingly important.”

— Paperboard Packaging Council

Why EPR Is Getting Attention

• Reporting and compliance requirements are increasing.
• Packaging data is becoming more important, including material specifications, weights and components.
• Packaging design and material choices may influence producer obligations and fee structures.
• Companies selling into multiple markets often face different requirements by geography.
• Packaging decisions increasingly require balancing product protection, operational efficiency, material use, consumer expectations and regulatory requirements.

FROM THE SHOW FLOOR

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Boardio™ Paperboard Canister

A common question in EPR discussions is whether alternative packaging formats can meet the same performance and consumer expectations as the formats they may replace. One example featured at PACK EXPO was Boardio™, a rigid paperboard canister for certain applications traditionally served by plastic tubs, glass jars and metal containers. Boardio offers performance and consumer convenience equivalent to the formats it replaces, while potentially delivering product cost savings and lower EPR fees, depending on the packaging specification and market.

Trend 2

Brands Continue Investing in Shelf Differentiation

Brand differentiation held strong as another recurring theme. As consumers weigh purchases more carefully and competition continues to intensify across categories, packaging remains one of the most visible ways for brands to communicate quality, value and brand identity.

For many brands, standing out is no longer just about attracting attention. It’s about helping consumers quickly understand why a product is worth choosing. According to Mintel research, approximately six-in-10 U.S. consumers say attractive packaging can make them more likely to choose a food product, and nearly two-thirds say distinctive packaging makes beverage products more appealing.

To create a more distinctive shelf presence, many brands continue to invest in:

• Innovative structural design
• Impactful graphic design
• Premium print effects

Increasingly, brands are looking to achieve these effects while also considering recyclability, EPR readiness and other sustainability objectives, reflecting a broader shift toward packaging solutions that balance multiple business priorities.

📍 PACK EXPO NEWS

ABOVE: Graphic Packaging Global Marketing Director Adriana Dale talks to Packaging Insights about premiumization trends at PACK EXPO.

FROM THE SHOW FLOOR

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Keurig Coffee Collective

Designed to feel more like a premium rigid box than a traditional folding carton, the award-winning Keurig Coffee Collective carton combines a two-piece lid-and-base structure with gold foil, spot gloss and bold color panels to create a distinctive shelf presence and a more intentional opening experience. The design earned both a PPC Judges Award and an AmeriStar Award, reflecting the continued importance of structure, print and finishing in brand differentiation.

Trend 3

Flexibility Remains a Driving Force in Beverage Packaging

Machinery occupied a significant portion of the PACK EXPO show floor, offering a clear view into the operational challenges beverage producers are working to solve. Across conversations with customers and industry stakeholders, one theme surfaced repeatedly: the need to manage more formats, more pack configurations and more frequent changeovers without sacrificing productivity.

Beverage producers continue to expand their product portfolios with new flavors, package sizes, multipack formats and channel-specific offerings. As a result, production lines are expected to handle greater variety while maintaining efficiency and uptime.

For many operations, the conversation is no longer centered solely on maximum line speed. A machine’s top speed matters, but productivity also depends on how efficiently a line can transition between formats, support operators and return to production. Flexibility, ease of changeover and uptime remain important considerations as producers evaluate equipment investments.

Operational Priorities on the Show Floor

• Automation and operator support
• Efficient changeovers
• Production flexibility across formats
• Line efficiency and uptime
• Equipment designed to support future packaging needs

FROM THE SHOW FLOOR

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QuikFlex™ and AutoClip™ Machinery

Graphic Packaging showcased multiple machinery solutions designed to serve different production environments, from craft beverage operations and co-packers to high-volume manufacturers. Featured solutions included the QuikFlex™ 40 multipack system, the high-speed QuikFlex™ 2100G4 and the AutoClip™ EBB1200 multipack clip applicator. Together, they illustrate the industry’s growing focus on equipment that can accommodate changing formats, streamline changeovers and support efficient production across a range of operational requirements.

The Common Thread

The conversations at PACK EXPO underscore a common reality: packaging decisions rarely exist in isolation. Regulatory developments, competitive pressures and operational requirements are increasingly interconnected, requiring companies to balance multiple business priorities at once.

Follow Graphic Packaging on LinkedIn for additional insights from PACK EXPO and other industry events.

ATLANTA, Sept. 28, 2026 – Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE: GPK), a global leader in sustainable consumer packaging, today announced that Aditya Gandhi has been appointed Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, effective Sept. 28. He will report to Charles D. Lischer, Interim Chief Financial Officer.

Gandhi joins Graphic Packaging from AptarGroup, Inc., where he served as Chief Accounting Officer. Previously, he spent nearly five years at Sonoco Products Company, including nearly four as Chief Accounting Officer. He also held senior roles at WestRock, including Segment Controller for its Consumer Packaging business.

“Aditya brings an excellent track record, combining deep experience in accounting advisory services, finance and as a Chief Accounting Officer in the paper and packaging industry,” President and Chief Executive Officer Robbert Rietbroek said. “His record of optimizing financial operations will be valuable as we continue to strengthen our business and create long-term value.”

Earlier in his career, Gandhi held a senior technical accounting role at GE and spent more than a decade with Deloitte. His Deloitte tenure included senior roles in the firm’s National Office and London, where he advised clients on complex accounting matters under U.S. GAAP and IFRS.

“Graphic Packaging has a strong foundation and a clear focus on performance and value creation,” Gandhi said. “I look forward to partnering with teams across the organization to develop our people, strengthen our finance capabilities and enable disciplined execution of the Company’s business and financial priorities.”

Gandhi holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce, with a concentration in financial accounting and auditing, from the University of Mumbai. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

About Graphic Packaging Holding Company

Graphic Packaging designs and produces consumer packaging made primarily from renewable or recycled materials. An industry leader in innovation, the Company is committed to reducing the environmental footprint of consumer packaging. Graphic Packaging operates a global network of design and manufacturing facilities serving the world’s most widely recognized brands in food, beverage, foodservice, household, and other consumer products. Learn more at www.graphicpkg.com.

Contact Information

Media: Comms@Graphicpkg.com

Investors: Investor.Relations@Graphicpkg.com