By Nathan Pajka and Mark Beamesderfer

In the packaging industry, some decision-makers have been taught from an early age that using recycled paper is the only sustainable option for paperboard packaging materials. Companies broadcast their commitment to the environment by setting packaging material goals that include reducing the number of packaging materials used for their products as well as targeting a percentage of post-consumer waste in their fiber-based packaging.

The recycled paperboard market has done an excellent job educating the brand owner, the converter, and the customer on the many benefits of reusing paperboard fiber in the packaging life cycle. As proof, in both the EU and the US, paper and paperboard packaging recycling rates are over 80%, far outshining those of other packaging materials.