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. 

As the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) reshapes the future of packaging, companies across the value chain are racing to adapt. At the center of that transition is Paul Krochak, Graphic Packaging International’s packaging circularity manager international, whose work is increasingly defined by aligning product design with sweeping new regulatory demands.

“The PPWR has had a huge impact on my work,” Paul said, describing how the regulation has become a daily touchpoint for innovation, compliance and strategy across the business.

A Regulation Redefining Packaging Design

At its core, PPWR aims to significantly reduce packaging waste across Europe by enforcing stricter design, material and recovery requirements. For companies like Graphic Packaging, this means rethinking packaging from the ground up.

Paul explains that the company’s approach to circularity already aligns closely with PPWR’s objectives. “It’s based on the raw materials we use, how we design packaging and how much value we can retain at end of life,” he said.

This includes prioritizing renewable and recycled materials, minimizing packaging weight and waste, and ensuring packaging and materials can be reused, recycled or otherwise recirculated.

That philosophy mirrors PPWR’s framework, which introduces measures such as:

• Mandatory design-for-recyclability requirements
• Minimum recycled content thresholds
• Packaging minimization rules
• Market restrictions on certain single-use plastic formats

“Design for recyclability is really the foundation,” Paul noted, emphasizing the need for packaging that can be collected, sorted and reprocessed without disrupting recycling systems.

Preparing for 2030: Innovation and Collaboration

With key PPWR milestones approaching — particularly recyclability requirements by 2030 — Graphic Packaging is pursuing a multi-pronged strategy.

A central component is rigorous recyclability testing, ensuring new packaging innovations meet performance standards while minimizing exposure to extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees.

At the same time, the company is deeply engaged in industry-wide collaborations. One example is the 4evergreen Alliance, which includes over 110 stakeholders working toward a 90% recycling rate for fiber-based packaging in the EU by 2030.

Collaboration extends both upstream and downstream:

• Working with suppliers to improve material performance
• Helping customers understand how packaging design decisions affect recyclability
• Participating in EU-funded innovation projects to develop next-generation solutions

Embedding Circularity Into Design

Graphic Packaging has also formalized its approach through a Better by Design methodology, which integrates regulatory compliance directly into the innovation process.

This system uses quantitative circularity metrics — including renewable, recycled and recyclable content — to evaluate packaging concepts early in development. Designers are supported by a circularity assessment tool and regulatory requirements mapping that help them flag applicable PPWR measures during the design phase.

“We cross-check design concepts with relevant regulations early on,” Paul explained, allowing teams to iterate quickly and ensure compliance before products reach market. “Where possible, we also take into account upcoming requirements that may apply in a later stage.”

Beyond circularity, the approach also considers:

• Broader environmental impacts such as carbon footprint
• Operational functionality for brands and retailers
• Consumer convenience and usability

Driving Standardization Across Europe

Another critical element of PPWR is the creation of harmonized recyclability standards. Paul noted that Graphic Packaging is playing an active role in shaping these through European standardization bodies.

“We’re contributing with our expertise and testing data to ensure the standards are science-based and feasible,” he said.

This involvement gives the company early insight into evolving requirements and positions it to guide customers through regulatory changes.

Paperboard Packaging Gains Momentum

As PPWR tightens restrictions on plastics and raises recycling expectations, Paul sees a clear shift toward paperboard alternatives.

“There’s no question that PPWR creates a huge tailwind for plastic substitution with paperboard.”

— Paul Krochak, Packaging Circularity Manager International

The trend is already visible across multiple sectors:

• Beverage multipacks shifting from plastic film to paperboard
• Increased adoption in the foodservice (HoReCa) segment
• Emerging changes in fresh produce

This momentum is supported by strong existing infrastructure. Paperboard packaging in the EU already achieves 87% recycling rates, the highest among material categories.

However, challenges remain, particularly in collecting and recycling on-the-go packaging. Paul estimates that around 3 million tonnes of fiber-based packaging currently goes uncollected due to consumer behavior and system gaps.

Solving this will require improved collection systems and consumer engagement, he said, calling it a key opportunity to push recycling rates beyond 90%.

A Turning Point for the Industry

For Graphic Packaging and the broader sector, PPWR represents more than regulatory compliance — it is a catalyst for transformation.

By embedding circularity into design, investing in innovation and advancing collaboration across the value chain, companies are not only meeting new requirements but unlocking new growth opportunities.

“The regulation is creating tailwinds for more sustainable packaging solutions,” Paul said.

As Europe moves toward a fully circular packaging economy, those that align early — like Graphic Packaging — may be best positioned to lead the next chapter of packaging innovation.

The European Union has drawn a clear line in the sand: by 2030, all packaging placed on the EU market must be designed for recycling. That deceptively simple mandate is the headline of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), and it is already reshaping how consumer brands design, source and sell products globally.

For multinational companies, this is not just a regional regulatory change. Any packaging or packaged product sold in the EU, including imports, must meet the new requirements regardless of where it is produced. And because many global brands prefer to standardize packaging across markets, PPWR’s influence is likely to extend well beyond Europe as companies adopt compliant designs more broadly to simplify their operations.

At the heart of the regulation is a performance-based “Design for Recycling” (DfR) framework. Packaging will be graded A (≥95% recyclable), B (≥80%) or C (≥70%) with anything below 70% deemed “technically non-recyclable” and effectively phased out of the market by 2030. The requirements will tighten further in 2035 and 2038. This grading system turns sustainability from aspiration into a hard commercial requirement, while creating incentives for higher recyclability through lower Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees.

PPWR entered into force in February 2025. Its provisions become directly applicable law across all 27 EU member states on Aug. 12, 2026, replacing the packaging directive that has governed the market for three decades. Restrictions on PFAS in food-contact packaging take hold from that date, ahead of the design-for-recycling mandate that phases in through 2030.

Why Paperboard Fits the PPWR Era

Under the new rules, the ideal packaging material must combine high recyclability, proven collection infrastructure and compatibility with recycled content targets.

Paperboard checks each one.

European systems recover approximately 87% of paper and paperboard packaging, significantly outperforming plastic. This established infrastructure reduces compliance risk and simplifies the path to achieving strong recyclability performance.

Paperboard is also inherently aligned with circular design. Fibers can be recycled multiple times — often cited as 10 or more cycles¹ — enabling valuable materials to be used again and again.

In addition, fiber-based formats can help brands navigate tightening restrictions on certain single-use plastic packaging formats while supporting broader goals around recyclability and resource efficiency.

Looking Ahead

The PPWR sets binding packaging waste reduction targets across the EU:

• 5% by 2030
• 10% by 2035
• 15% by 2040

All reductions are measured against 2018 levels.

For consumer brands, the design-for-recycling mandate is both a constraint and an opportunity. Those who adapt early — embracing materials like paperboard and designing for circularity — will not only be better prepared for compliance, but also gain a competitive edge in a market where sustainability is rapidly becoming the baseline.

¹ Graphic Packaging’s 2025 Impact Report (page 13)

Click here for a text transcript of the infographic above.

Packaging Is About to Change Forever

• By 2030, on the European Union, all packaging must be designed for recycling.
• Design for Recycling (DfR): Assessment of recyclability per unit, in terms of weight. DfR rules to be defined through delegated acts by 2028.
• Recyclability performance grades:
  • Grade A: at least 95%
  • Grade B: at least 80%
  • Grade C: at least 70%
  • Technically non-recyclable: less than 70%*
    • *Cannot be placed on the market from this date.

Paperboard: A Natural Fit for a Circular Future

• Paperboard can be recycled 5-10 times. (Source: NCA SI WP-23-03, 2023)
• 87% of paperboard packaging is recycled in Europe versus only 42% of plastic. (Source: Eurostat 2023)

Road to Regulation: Timeline

• 2010s: Rising concern about single-use plastics and packaging waste. Warning of missed recycling targets.
• 2022: European Commission proposes the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), a sweeping regulation that replaces the PPWD (from 1994) for the European Union, aimed at preventing and reducing packaging waste, improving packaging recyclability and recycling, and driving circular materials in packaging. Covers the entire packaging life cycle with standardized rules.
• 2025: PPWR goes into effect. Development of secondary legislation starts.
• 2028: Standardized, mandatory labels for waste sorting on all waste receptacles and on consumer packaging.
• 2030: All packaging on the EU market must be recyclable by design. Most plastic packaging and parts in the EU must meet initial minimum recycled content targets. Single-use plastic packaging face restrictions – including for multipacks, fresh produce and foodservice.
• 2035: All packaging in the EU must be recyclable at scale.
• 2038: All packaging in the EU must meet stricter criteria for recyclability.
• 2040: Most plastic packaging and parts in the EU must meet increased recycled content targets.

Learn more at: graphicpkg.com/ppwr