Packaging is going back to its roots. Long before the advent of plastics, before the rise of mass production and the widespread adoption of synthetic materials, early civilisations relied on what the natural world had to offer - pressed bark, woven plant fibres, and rudimentary pulps - to store and transport food and goods.
Paper, in particular, has long served as a trusted material for containment and communication alike. Today, that ancient material is undergoing a resurgence and is evolving to not only meet contemporary functional needs but also to respond to an urgent call for environmental responsibility.
The rapid shift away from single-use plastic has created new momentum behind paper-based alternatives. From luxury goods wrapped in soft textured, bespoke papers to barrier coated containers engineered for performance and recyclability, fibre-based packaging is no longer confined to brown boxes or rustic aesthetics. It is becoming more refined, more versatile, and, crucially, more sustainable - at least on the surface. You only have to walk the show floor at events like London Packaging Week to see the innovation and enthusiasm driving this shift. As James Piper, Co-Host of the Talking Rubbish podcast, aptly puts it: “If you demonise a piece of packaging, like plastic is, then you automatically promote all the others.” That, he says, is where things can get dangerously simplistic.
On paper - both literally and figuratively - fibre-based materials appear to offer a clean, green solution to our packaging problems. But the reality is far more complex. Public perception has, in many ways, outpaced scientific and industrial nuance. Piper warns against knee-jerk assumptions: “It is tempting to go for paper [over plastic] without thought, and the majority would feel good about it. The truth is way more complicated.” As the EU’s proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) begins to clamp down on single-use plastics, industry stakeholders are under increasing pressure to shift towards recyclable, compostable, or fibre-based alternatives. Yet the question remains: are these changes based on evidence or emotion?
Innovating with caution
Innovation is at the heart of paper’s transformation. “Few industries are as focused on progress as packaging is,” says Rob Tilsley, Fibre Specialist at James Cropper. “This is integral to drive the shift towards the circular economy. That means more than just producing and using materials. It requires us to reimagine our relationship with the resources that we use every day.”
Tilsley offers a clear example of that in reality. “We make premium paper products, so the traditional waste streams are challenging for us, as recycled materials can contaminate our process and cause significant issues. So, we needed to find a source of waste that was suitable for our operations.”
The source turned out to be disposable coffee cups. “Our Centre of Innovation team identified that, since they’re used in food packaging, their material lacks the brightening agents or contaminants that could affect our processes.” The challenge, Tilsley says, “was removing the plastic from the fibre. So, we developed a method and invested in a plant right on the production edge.”
The process is precise. James Cropper uses chemistry and water in a pulping process that separates the plastic from the fibre. The plastic floats to the top and is removed, while the fibre undergoes cleaning before being stored in towers feeding the paper mills. It’s the combination of chemistry, temperature, and agitation that makes this process work.
“We can’t risk contamination,” he adds. “Luxury brands rely on consistency. A bit of plastic might be fine for lower-grade materials, but not for our premium products.”
James Cropper’s CupCycling® technology now converts 95% of cup waste into high-quality paper material, with the remaining 5% of plastic used for energy recovery. In the past year, the company diverted 58 million coffee cups from landfill, transforming them into 696 tonnes of cup fibre - enough to produce approximately 1,744,360 perfume boxes for top brands.
Progress and perception
This momentum raises the question – is paperisation the future or a reactive shift to consumer and regulatory pressure? Piper cautions: “If you wrap plastic in paper - even if you use the same amount of plastic – studies have shown that people feel it's more environmentally friendly.” The perception of progress often eclipses reality.
For William Connolly, Senior Principal Scientist at Diageo, progress is as much about mindset as material. “It’s not about a single solution but navigating trade-offs and prioritising progress over perfection,” he explains. “In sustainable packaging, especially with materials like paper, every choice involves compromise - between recyclability and barrier performance, tradition and innovation, consumer familiarity and environmental responsibility.”
And yet, the rise in paper-based packaging raises new challenges of its own. Martin Settle, Senior Manager of Polymer Science, Sustainability & Packaging at Reckitt, cautions against tunnel vision: “Don’t approach everything with blinkers on. Look at it in terms of what is the best material for the specific product, the solution, and the market you’re targeting, because not everything will work in every market.”
At the recycling and waste management end of the spectrum, Roger Wright, Waste Strategy & Packaging Manager at Biffa, is cautiously optimistic. He acknowledges the progress being made with coatings that are both functionally robust and ‘paper-mill friendly’. “Technically speaking, anything paper-based can perform as per plastic,” Wright says. “But commercially, it’s more expensive unless you reach the same scale in paper. Logistically, it’s hard to collect just the ‘recyclable’ material in an environment where non-target materials can easily contaminate that waste stream.” He points out that, without better infrastructure and clearer consumer guidance, even the most innovative solutions risk falling short.
The confusion cost
This consumer confusion remains a persistent barrier to progress. While studies show that people are willing to pay more - up to 16% extra - for goods packaged in paper over plastic, there is widespread misunderstanding about what is genuinely recyclable or sustainable. “Consumers are not clear on what ‘good’ is anymore,” Piper remarks. “The market is moving faster than the public’s understanding.” As companies compete to outdo one another on green credentials, messaging can become muddled, leading to well-intentioned but environmentally dubious outcomes - such as wrapping plastic containers in paper sleeves that do little to improve recyclability but vastly increase the perceived sustainability.”
“There is growing confusion about what makes a paper product truly recyclable or sustainable.” As Piper notes, some paper products are coated with polyethylene or other plastic-based materials to enhance durability. “This shift complicates recycling, particularly when non-paper materials are mixed in. The solution may lie in standardising paper liners to ensure that when consumers choose paper, they know exactly what they are getting and how it can be recycled. Communication can be national and clear when everything is normal, rather than innovative.”
This perception gap is a key focus for innovators. As Connolly observes, “There’s a huge amount of pressure on brands to present their packaging innovations as flawless, but the truth is, they rarely are.” The goal, he insists, must be to educate as well as innovate - bridging the gap between what looks good and what does actual good.”
Pushing the limits
Technological developments are narrowing the performance gap between paper and plastic. Advances in coatings, fibre reinforcement, and hybrid constructions have made paper suitable for applications once dominated by polymer-based materials. However, standardisation will be critical if recycling systems are to keep up. “If we standardise the liners used, then at least we know this paper-like packaging has this lining and we can develop recycling around it,” says Piper. Without uniformity, even the most recyclable packaging may end up incinerated or landfilled due to processing confusion or contamination.
The circular potential of fibre-based materials is compelling - but it is not limitless. “Paper is already the most recycled material in Europe, with an 80% recovery rate,” adds Tilsley. “And paper fibres can be recycled up to 25 times - a significant leap from the previously assumed seven cycles - proving that durability is no longer a barrier but a moving target.” Even so, the loop eventually closes. As Settle points out, “Each time you recycle it, the fibres shorten to the point where it can no longer be recycled. There’s a lot of misinformation about paper being a perfect circular material, but that’s simply not the case.”
Indeed, sustainability is never just about the material itself. It encompasses the entire lifecycle: raw material extraction, production processes, transport emissions, consumer usage, and end-of-life treatment. Wright stresses that rigid adherence to material-switching can be counterproductive: “It’s difficult to fairly judge the environmental impact without considering the entire life cycle. Overly rigid efforts to push for paper in all areas could be counterproductive.”
That’s why companies like James Cropper focus on strategic substitution. “Fibre isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution,” Tilsley explains. “But when you can combine performance, colour precision, and circular design, then you can start to demonstrate that paper’s role isn’t to replace plastic outright, but to outperform it where it makes the most sense.”
Still, the push toward paper-based solutions must be tempered with realism. “It takes about 14 trees to produce a tonne of paper,” Settle notes. “If we switched everything to paper, we’d need a whole new planet. Trees don’t grow overnight. Even sustainable forestry has its limits.”
More than material
In response, fibre recovery and upcycling are gaining traction. Innovations like CupCycling® transform used paper cups into new products, while the remaining plastic linings are recovered for energy. “This innovation doesn’t just cut down on the need for virgin materials but redefines waste as a valuable resource,” explains Tilsley. Responsible forestry, certified by FSC and PEFC, forms the foundation, but true sustainability requires more than just stewardship and demands a complete reinvention of our approach.
Ultimately, the future of packaging will not be won by paper alone. It will be shaped by our collective ability to rethink systems, collaborate across disciplines, and make informed, transparent choices. Paper, in that vision, is not a silver bullet, but it is a powerful tool. And in the hands of thoughtful designers, technologists, and policymakers, it may yet help us write a new chapter in sustainable packaging - one not rooted in nostalgia, but in genuine progress. Events like October’s London Packaging Week 2025 are a prime example of where these collective industry moments take place, highlighting the power of collaboration and innovation. Paper is not a cure-all, but it is a powerful tool in a much broader toolkit