As packaging regulation tightens across Europe, attention is turning to the polymer layers of liquid carton packaging. A recent Nordic rollout shows how manufacturers are responding, using a certified mass-balance allocation of recycled and bio-circular feedstocks in place of an equivalent amount of fossil-based feedstock, while maintaining the performance of conventional packaging.
Orkla Home and Personal Care (OHPC) has expanded its use of D-PAK™ paperboard cartons for liquid laundry and personal care products, switching to a new coating that replaces conventional fossil-based polymers polyethylene (PE) with a recycled and bio-circular blend. The solution has become the standard across OHPC products packaged by Elopak, including brands such as Klar, OMO and Comfort.
The D-PAK™ cartons are made from responsibly sourced paperboard and coated with thin polymer layers that protect the liquid contents and enable heat sealing. Of the polymer feedstock allocated to these layers, 10% comes from post-consumer plastic waste that has been chemically recycled polymers, while the remaining 90% is attributed to bio-circular polymers derived from biological waste and residue streams, such as used cooking oil. Both feedstocks are sourced and produced through an ISCC PLUS-certified mass-balance system, in which recycled and bio-circular materials enter a shared production system and are allocated to the cartons through chain-of-custody accounting.
As the European packaging industry undergoes a regulatory transformation, the expansion of D-PAK™ demonstrates where manufacturers are heading. The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which generally began applying on 12 August 2026, creates a harmonised framework across EU member states. From 2030, it introduces minimum post-consumer recycled-content requirements for the plastic component of packaging, with the applicable threshold depending on the packaging category and subject to defined exemptions. It also requires packaging to meet design-for-recycling criteria from 2030, while recyclability at scale becomes a requirement from 2035.
For manufacturers, this means preparing for mandatory recycled content is now a business requirement. At the same time, the European Commission’s Bioeconomy Strategy, adopted on 27 November 2025, supports the scale-up of sustainable bio-based materials as alternatives to fossil-based resources.
Bio-circular polymers offer a way to reduce the fossil carbon embedded in the polymer layer without changing the packaging format or its performance. As the polymers meet the same technical specifications as conventional polymers PE, no changes to the packaging format, converting process or filling equipment were required. Also, it does not alter how the cartons are collected and recycled. They continue through established paper collection systems in Sweden, Norway and Finland, while in Denmark they are collected with lightweight packaging.
The rollout provides a real-world example of the packaging beyond the lab. Elopak first packaged OHPC products in D-PAK™ cartons in 2020, filling Klar brand liquid soap and laundry detergent into carton refill packs. These sold out in record time, providing an early indication of consumer interest in the refill format. The latest Nordic launch extends the format into Denmark for the first time. The four-market expansion demonstrates that the new 10/90% polymer blend can be deployed in a commercial Nordic rollout.
Dirk Endlich, Vice President Plastic to Carton, at Elopak said: “OHPC has adopted this blend as the standard across its D-PAK™ portfolio because it increases the use of circular and bio-circular feedstocks without changing the carton’s performance. It reduces reliance on fossil-based feedstocks while giving us flexibility to increase recycled content as regulation, technology and material availability develop.”