Pro Carton, the European association of cartonboard and carton manufacturers, has announced that the carton packaging industry has achieved an 8% reduction in cradle-to-gate fossil carbon emissions since 2021.
The research was conducted by the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) and independently verified by Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung (ifeu) in Germany. Pro Carton says the research confirms the annual cradle-to-gate fossil carbon footprint dropped from 929 kg CO2 equivalent to 854 kg CO2 equivalent per tonne.
Pro Carton’s 2025 Carbon Footprint of Carton Packaging Study evaluated the sector’s environmental performance between 2021 and 2024. Drawing on data from 70 sites representing 60% of European cartonboard production and 16% of Europe’s folding carton production sites, the report provides an account of the industry’s progress toward a low-carbon, bio-based economy.
According to the study, the 8% reduction in fossil emissions is a direct result of the industry’s collective investment in decarbonisation. Between 2021 and 2024, European mills moved further away from traditional energy sources, reducing the share of fossil fuels in their energy mix from 46% to 39%. By prioritising wood-based biofuels and renewable heat generation, manufacturers avoided approximately 60 kg CO2 equivalent of fossil emissions per tonne of production.
At the same time, the share of low-carbon electricity used at mills rose from 23% to 66%, apparently driven by direct investment in green infrastructure and power procurement. Pro Carton claims that data shows the carbon absorbed during forest growth by the wood used in production ‘significantly exceeds’ the fossil emissions generated during production.
The study also examines the efficiency of the converting process, where cartonboard is shaped into final packaging. Converting accounts for 21% of the total cradle-to-gate footprint and direct on-site emissions from print drying and heating represent 2%.
Last April, our editor-in-chief Elisabeth Skoda discussed Pro Carton’s Consumer Survey with its director of marketing and communication, Winfried Mühling, as part of our Packaging Europe podcast series. The episode focused on consumer attitudes towards packaging and sustainability, how preferences have changed over the years and the key takeaways for packaging companies.
Last month Tetra Pak revealed it is investing €60 million into a pilot plant for its paper-based barrier technologies, said to unlock 80% paper content and 92% renewable content in a single aseptic carton. Tetra Pak’s facility is hoped to give customers more insight into the solution’s manufacturing process, from creating the barrier and producing the packaging material to combining the components into a filled package.
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