European Waste Reduction: designed for circularity
Winfried Muehling, Director of Marketing and Communications at Pro Carton: As Europe observed Waste Reduction Week, attention turned once again to a packaging material that is inherently circular: cartonboard. Produced from renewable and responsibly sourced fibres, folding cartons embody circularity and continue to support Europe’s broader transition toward a sustainable circular economy.
Consumer sentiment remains strong. According to the 2025 edition of Pro Carton’s Consumer Packaging Perceptions Survey, more than half of respondents reported increasing their recycling efforts, while 77% stated that further action is required to tackle climate change. This level of engagement, combined with confidence in Europe’s established paper and cartonboard recycling systems, provides a solid basis for continued progress.
Fibre-based packaging has long set the benchmark for sustainable packaging solutions. With recycling rates surpassing 87% in 2023, paper and cartonboard remain Europe’s leading performers—clear evidence that circular design and an efficient recycling infrastructure can operate in perfect synergy. Once collected, each used carton becomes a valuable raw material for new paper and packaging, ensuring waste is transformed into a resource and the material loop remains closed.
Cartonboard also distinguishes itself from fossil-based alternatives by being renewable. This reduces reliance on finite resources and contributes to lower carbon emissions. The fact that cartonboard is predominantly produced, used and recycled within Europe further strengthens the local value chain, supports regional employment and reduces transport-related emissions. It is a clear demonstration of how sustainability and economic resilience can be mutually reinforcing.
Innovation continues to advance circular design. Mono-material structures, new lightweight concepts and smart packaging solutions are reshaping the landscape, providing cost efficiencies while reducing waste. These developments illustrate that sustainability and competitiveness are increasingly aligned.
Pro Carton emphasised that every folding carton collected, recycled and reintroduced into the production cycle represents a step toward a Europe where waste is minimised and circularity becomes the natural standard.
Europe’s circular vision supported by sustainable packaging
Krzysztof Krajewski, Chief Sustainability and Innovation Officer at RDM: European Week for Waste Reduction offered an important opportunity to highlight the long-standing work of the paper and cartonboard industry in developing a circular system that operates on a large scale. At RDM Group, this commitment is evident: the company processes more than 1.5 million tonnes of recovered paper each year, converting collected and recycled fibre into high-quality packaging substrates capable of withstanding more than 25 recycling cycles.
The EU’s 87% recycling rate demonstrates that materials designed for circularity – supported by efficient infrastructure – deliver measurable results. As a producer of recycled cartonboard, RDM emphasises that achieving circularity and reducing waste requires collaboration across the full value chain: from design and production to collection, reprocessing and market demand for recycled materials.
Innovation also plays a key role in unlocking new applications and further improving recycling performance. RDM is developing lighter-weight solutions, enhancing barrier technologies for food-contact packaging while preserving recyclability, and working alongside partners to ensure that packaging design supports effective recycling. However, the company noted that technology alone is insufficient—consumer involvement, sustainability-driven purchasing behaviour and confidence in collection and recycling systems remain essential to keeping materials in circular use. Encouragingly, this trend is growing consistently across European markets.
The transition toward a fully circular Europe will require continued investment and increased collaboration among industries. Packaging should not reach its end-of-life as waste; instead, it should be designed to return to production as a high-quality secondary raw material. Achieving this objective depends on coordinated action across the supply chain to create circular solutions, raise recycling rates and reinforce demand for recycled materials.
Fibre-based packaging has already established strong foundations for a circular economy, and initiatives such as European Week for Waste Reduction highlight the importance of maintaining this momentum. By working together, the industry can continue transforming packaging from waste into a valuable resource that drives innovation, sustainability and long-term value creation.
