Graphic Packaging International (“Graphic Packaging”), a global leader in sustainable consumer packaging, has invested in six state-of-the-art equipment solutions at its facility in Poznań, Poland, reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s premier packaging manufacturing plants for both high-end beauty packaging and high-efficiency food packaging.

Graphic Packaging’s dual-sector approach positions the Poznań facility to address evolving market needs head-on. Beauty brands must rapidly innovate to exceed consumer expectations for quality and sustainability, and food brands must quickly adapt to fluctuating economic environments and consumer demand.

For beauty brands, the Poznań plant now offers increased production capacity for premium paperboard packaging for products such as perfumes and skincare, as well as expanded print and security capabilities. The infrastructure enhancements include multiple varnish capabilities and inline cold foiling — delivering high-end finishes in a single pass. Bold, detail-rich designs with tactile and metallic effects can be achieved consistently and with shorter lead times. Enhanced anti-counterfeit capabilities include a new coding technology that supports serialized QR codes, high-resolution digital fingerprints, and fluorescent inks. Together with 100 percent inline inspection, this robust traceability protects brand integrity and consumer trust.

Graphic Packaging’s Poznań facility upgrade will also increase operational efficiency to serve food brands and private label manufacturers through automation, robotics, and process optimisation. With new high-performance printing presses and packaging manufacturing lines, the site is built for high-output, low-waste, cost-optimised, scalable production.

“These are not just investments, they’re a statement of intent,” said Ellie Patterson, VP sales, food, wellness, and flexibles – International, at Graphic Packaging. “We’ve built this facility into one that doesn’t just keep pace with demand, it leads. Whether it’s high-end beauty packaging with advanced tactile finishes and anti-counterfeit protection or a high-volume carton for food, we’re setting our customers up with exactly what they need to win in their markets.”

The Poznań plant delivers elevated service with fast response, great flexibility, and value-adding packaging options. These investments support Graphic Packaging’s Vision 2030 strategy to be the world leader in sustainable consumer packaging — one that makes a world of difference to customers, consumers, and the planet.

New facility in Waco, Texas enables the company to deliver the industry’s most innovative sustainable consumer packaging.

Graphic Packaging International, a global leader in sustainable consumer packaging, has launched its new recycled paperboard facility in Waco, Texas — a strategic investment that establishes the most advanced, efficient and high-quality recycled paperboard production platform in North America. The Waco operation enhances the company’s leadership position and expands its ability to deliver innovative, sustainable packaging solutions at scale.

The Waco site expands the recycled paperboard network and serves as an enabler of the company’s industry-leading packaging platform. It increases capacity, drives efficiency and accelerates innovation for key markets including food, beverage, foodservice, household goods, and health and beauty.

“Our Waco facility produces the most efficient and highest quality recycled paperboard in the world,” said Mike Doss, president and chief executive officer of Graphic Packaging. “Together with our state-of-the-art Kalamazoo, Michigan facility, we now have — by a wide margin — the strongest packaging platform in North America.” 

A New Standard for Recycled Paperboard 

Consumers increasingly expect products — and packaging — to use resources more responsibly. Graphic Packaging is focused on innovating packaging to meet society’s expectations for sustainable solutions. In 2024, the company replaced approximately 1 billion plastic packages globally with paperboard packaging designed to be more circular, more functional and more convenient. 

The Waco facility was designed to set a new standard for recycled paperboard quality. The site turns recovered materials into high-performance paperboard to make consumer packaging with a significantly higher recycling rate than alternatives such as plastic. 

The investment positions the company to serve the rising demand for packaging made with materials from renewable and recycled resources. 

Recycling Infrastructure Driving Innovation  

What makes Waco distinct is its ability to handle a broad range of recovered materials. Its location in the Texas Triangle — between Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio — was selected for its strong future access to recovered materials streams from surrounding metropolitan areas. 

With advanced recycling technology, the facility is capable of processing up to 15 million paper cups per day, converting those materials into recycled paperboard to make packaging for leading global brands. As paper cup recycling expands, the Waco site is well positioned to capture a growing supply of post-consumer fiber and transform it into new packaging solutions. 

A closed-loop system has been designed to recover and reuse clean scrap paperboard from the company’s own packaging operations — further reducing waste and improving efficiency across the manufacturing network. 

Circularity (including whether packaging is recyclable and made of recycled content) is the key sustainability characteristic that consumers use to determine whether packaging is sustainable, reports McKinsey & Company. 

People and Partnerships Powering Waco 

The Waco project capitalizes on deep operational experience and regional collaboration. Many team members who helped to bring the Kalamazoo facility online played key roles in the Waco launch, while others trained at Kalamazoo before joining the Texas location. Together they bring the skill, dedication and pride that underpin the company’s culture. 

The City of Waco, the State of Texas and Texas State Technical College (TSTC) are acknowledged as partners and collaborators. Through ongoing work with TSTC, the company is helping to develop local talent and strengthen manufacturing careers across the region. 

“At Texas State Technical College, we have trained employees of Graphic Packaging on specific technologies here at The WorkSITE that mimic the needs for Graphic Packaging’s paperboard manufacturing facility in Waco.” 

— Wendy Maler, Campus Operations Senior Coordinator, Student Learning, TSTC 

Enabling the Future of Sustainable Packaging 

People today expect more from their products — and from their packaging. The company continues to meet that challenge by delivering better packaging solutions that are more circular, more functional and more convenient. 

The Waco facility is the engine that makes that possible — giving materials new life, reducing waste, and providing the scale and capability to continue advancing sustainable packaging for the world’s leading retail and consumer brands. 

RENEW aims to engage employees at every site, every year through 2030.   

At Graphic Packaging, our purpose is clear: packaging life’s everyday moments for a renewable future. Through RENEW, we’re putting our purpose into action in our communities — supporting the environment, food access and the future workforce. 

What Is RENEW?

RENEW is our new social impact program, inspired by our Vision 2030 commitment to enhance the communities where we operate. It helps us deliver on our sustainability promise to be Better, Every Day — creating positive outcomes for people, communities and the planet. 

Under RENEW, we focus our philanthropy, charitable giving and volunteer resources in three areas: 

• Renewing the Environment by restoring nature and promoting recycling 

• Renewing Food Access by providing food and supplies where most needed 

• Renewing Futures by empowering youth and investing in the workforce of the future 

Building on our long tradition of volunteerism and philanthropy, RENEW was designed with: 

• Sharper focus on causes aligned to our business, our people and local community priorities 

• Stronger governance that connects local efforts to global goals — empowering employees to contribute meaningfully within a unified framework 

• Greater visibility and transparency through internal and external storytelling 

• Measurable impact, including a companywide goal for every Graphic Packaging site to support a RENEW project each year 

Renewing the Environment

Nature Restoration

Our packaging depends on sustainably harvested trees, and the communities where we live and work thrive with greenery. RENEW supports initiatives that protect and restore nature for future generations. 

In partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation — our first enterprise-level nonprofit collaboration—we’re expanding urban green spaces and sustaining forests across diverse global regions. The Foundation’s Forest Priority Index (FPI) and Nature Priority Index (NPI) guide our efforts to plant and distribute trees where they are needed most. 

WHY IT MATTERS: Forests provide clean air and drinking water for more than 150 million people in the U.S., and urban trees can lower neighborhood temperatures by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit — improving health, safety and well-being.

Recycling Advocacy

Recycling is the foundation of our business and a key driver of a circular economy. As the producer of the world’s highest-quality recycled paperboard, we lead innovation in recovering and reusing fiber to create more circular, more functional and more convenient packaging. 

Through RENEW, we extend that leadership into our communities — promoting recycling education in schools and neighborhoods to reduce landfill waste and close the loop. Collaborating across the recycling value chain, we advocate for broader acceptance of paper-based packaging in recycling systems across the U.S. 

By equipping employees with the knowledge and tools to champion recycling, we aim to spark lasting habits — at work, at home and beyond. 

WHY IT MATTERS: About 80% of adults in the U.S. believe recycling makes a difference for the environment, and three-quarters of global business leaders agree that circularity is critical to future growth.

Renewing Food Access

Food Security

No one should have to wonder where their next meal will come from. We package food for many of the world’s most recognized brands, and we share a responsibility to fight hunger in the communities where we live and work. 

Through RENEW, we partner with local food banks and hunger-relief organizations to help close the gap — volunteering, donating and raising awareness to ensure families have access to nutritious meals. 

WHY IT MATTERS: About 2.3 billion people worldwide experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2024 — 336 million more than before the pandemic. In the U.S., food insecurity affects 47 million people, including 13 million children.

Disaster Relief

When disaster strikes, quick action saves lives. Through RENEW, we make it simple for employees to help communities recover by supporting the American Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to provide immediate, hands-on ways to give and volunteer. 

We also donate foodservice packaging that helps deliver meals and supplies efficiently, prioritizing support near our facilities to make the greatest local impact. 

WHY IT MATTERS: Disasters triggered 26.4 million internal displacements in 2023 alone — underscoring the urgency of global relief efforts.

Renewing Futures

Youth Empowerment

Resilient communities start with young people who have access to education and support. Through RENEW, we invest in youth programs that build life skills, expand learning access and strengthen confidence for future success. 

In partnership with United Way, we help fulfill basic needs that unlock opportunities for youth. We also collaborate with schools and youth-development organizations — such as after-school and mentorship programs — to ensure young people have safe spaces to learn, positive role models, and pathways to reach their full potential. 

WHY IT MATTERS: Youth with mentors are more likely to attend college, earn higher incomes and achieve upward mobility.

Workforce Development

A strong, sustainable industry depends on skilled talent. Through RENEW, we invest in education and training that prepares the next generation of packaging and manufacturing professionals. 

From technical partnerships and scholarships to hands-on learning opportunities, we help bridge the gap between classroom and career. We support trade programs, community colleges, and universities that teach essential skills in engineering, operations, and design — empowering people to build rewarding, long-term careers in our field. 

WHY IT MATTERS: By 2030, more than 2 million U.S. manufacturing jobs may go unfilled due to the growing skills gap.

Building a Renewable Future

RENEW is the bridge between our packaging and our purpose — uniting employees, customers, and communities to protect nature, fight hunger, and create opportunities for the next generation. 

It’s how we turn local action into global progress, empowering every site to make a measurable difference in their community. 

RENEW also strengthens our business — building pride in our packaging and culture, attracting people who care about impact, and deepening trust as a responsible partner and neighbor. 

Five-year partnership is part of RENEW, Graphic Packaging’s new social impact program to mobilize employees globally in conservation projects.

ATLANTA, Nov. 3, 2025 – Taking action to conserve the environment and protect forest resources, Graphic Packaging International, a global leader in sustainable consumer packaging, today announced a corporate partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, a global nonprofit dedicated to planting trees with a focus on forests and communities most in need. 

As part of the partnership, Graphic Packaging will contribute $500,000 over the next five years to support strategic, large-scale reforestation and urban forestry initiatives with the Arbor Day Foundation. These efforts will help to expand green spaces in the communities where the company operates and support restoration projects in areas identified as high priority through science-based assessments. Employees around the world will bring this work to life by: 

• Leading and participating in hands-on tree-planting events 

• Distributing seedlings and trees in their communities 

• Supporting global reforestation projects 

“Enhancing the communities where we live and work is a key part of Vision 2030, and protecting the environment is essential to strong, healthy communities,” said Graphic Packaging President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Doss. “Graphic Packaging employees have distributed 130,000 trees since 2010, and we’re proud to partner with the Arbor Day Foundation to build on our history of giving back to communities and the planet.” 

Forests provide clean air and water for more than half of the world’s population, and urban trees can lower neighborhood temperatures by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The Arbor Day Foundation’s Forest Priority Index (FPI) and Nature Priority Index (NPI) tools will help guide Graphic Packaging’s project selections. The FPI identifies forest regions where reforestation will have the highest impact on climate, biodiversity and community resilience. The NPI — created by NatureQuant, one of the Foundation’s technology partners — helps to highlight census tracts in urban areas where trees can most improve human health and tree access. 

“Graphic Packaging’s commitment to environmental stewardship and its global network of engaged communities helps us to meaningfully carry out our mission of inspiring people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees around the world,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Thanks to their support, this partnership will help restore vital forest ecosystems and bolster resilience in the places that need it most.” 

RENEW: Graphic Packaging’s Social Impact Program  

The Arbor Day Foundation collaboration marks a flagship initiative under RENEW, Graphic Packaging’s social impact program. RENEW is designed to drive meaningful change in and around communities where Graphic Packaging operates across three key areas: 

• Renewing the Environment by restoring nature and promoting recycling 

• Renewing Food Access by providing food and supplies where most needed 

• Renewing Futures by empowering youth and investing in the workforce of the future 

Graphic Packaging’s refreshed philanthropy and volunteerism program includes a heightened focus on impact and facility-wide participation across more than 100 locations in over 25 countries. RENEW connects the company’s purpose — packaging life’s everyday moments for a renewable future — with its sustainability commitment to be Better, Every Day, for people, communities and the planet. ability commitment to be Better, Every Day, for people, communities and the planet.

About Graphic Packaging International
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. 

Media Contact: Comms@graphicpkg.com 

About the Arbor Day Foundation 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is only the beginning. 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org.