Graphic Packaging Launches Advanced Recycled Paperboard Facility in Waco, Texas

New facility in Waco, Texas enables the company to deliver the industry's most innovative sustainable consumer packaging.

Graphic Packaging International, a global leader in sustainable consumer packaging, has launched its new recycled paperboard facility in Waco, Texas - a strategic investment that establishes the most advanced, efficient and high-quality recycled paperboard production platform in North America. The Waco operation enhances the company's leadership position and expands its ability to deliver innovative, sustainable packaging solutions at scale.

The Waco site expands the recycled paperboard network and serves as an enabler of the company's industry-leading packaging platform. It increases capacity, drives efficiency and accelerates innovation for key markets including food, beverage, foodservice, household goods, and health and beauty.

"Our Waco facility produces the most efficient and highest quality recycled paperboard in the world," said Mike Doss, president and chief executive officer of Graphic Packaging. "Together with our state-of-the-art Kalamazoo, Michigan facility, we now have - by a wide margin - the strongest packaging platform in North America."

A New Standard for Recycled Paperboard

Consumers increasingly expect products - and packaging - to use resources more responsibly. Graphic Packaging is focused on innovating packaging to meet society's expectations for sustainable solutions. In 2024, the company replaced approximately 1 billion plastic packages globally with paperboard packaging designed to be more circular, more functional and more convenient.

The Waco facility was designed to set a new standard for recycled paperboard quality. The site turns recovered materials into high-performance paperboard to make consumer packaging with a significantly higher recycling rate than alternatives such as plastic.

The investment positions the company to serve the rising demand for packaging made with materials from renewable and recycled resources.

Recycling Infrastructure Driving Innovation

What makes Waco distinct is its ability to handle a broad range of recovered materials. Its location in the Texas Triangle - between Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio - was selected for its strong future access to recovered materials streams from surrounding metropolitan areas.

With advanced recycling technology, the facility is capable of processing up to 15 million paper cups per day, converting those materials into recycled paperboard to make packaging for leading global brands. As paper cup recycling expands, the Waco site is well positioned to capture a growing supply of post-consumer fiber and transform it into new packaging solutions.

A closed-loop system has been designed to recover and reuse clean scrap paperboard from the company's own packaging operations - further reducing waste and improving efficiency across the manufacturing network.

Circularity (including whether packaging is recyclable and made of recycled content) is the key sustainability characteristic that consumers use to determine whether packaging is sustainable, reports McKinsey & Company.

People and Partnerships Powering Waco

The Waco project capitalizes on deep operational experience and regional collaboration. Many team members who helped to bring the Kalamazoo facility online played key roles in the Waco launch, while others trained at Kalamazoo before joining the Texas location. Together they bring the skill, dedication and pride that underpin the company's culture.

The City of Waco, the State of Texas and Texas State Technical College (TSTC) are acknowledged as partners and collaborators. Through ongoing work with TSTC, the company is helping to develop local talent and strengthen manufacturing careers across the region.

"At Texas State Technical College, we have trained employees of Graphic Packaging on specific technologies here at The WorkSITE that mimic the needs for Graphic Packaging's paperboard manufacturing facility in Waco."

- Wendy Maler, Campus Operations Senior Coordinator, Student Learning, TSTC

Enabling the Future of Sustainable Packaging

People today expect more from their products - and from their packaging. The company continues to meet that challenge by delivering better packaging solutions that are more circular, more functional and more convenient.

The Waco facility is the engine that makes that possible - giving materials new life, reducing waste, and providing the scale and capability to continue advancing sustainable packaging for the world's leading retail and consumer brands.

Path to Waco: Recycled Paperboard Leadership

These are just a few of the recent steps Graphic Packaging has made toward a more circular future.

April 2022

Raising the Bar: Launched state-of-the-art recycled paperboard machine in Kalamazoo, Michigan, responding to growing consumer demand for packaging made from recycled materials.

February 2023

Expanding Capabilities: Announced plans for a new recycled paperboard facility in Waco, Texas, modeled on the successful operation in Kalamazoo.

August 2023

New Alternative: Launched PaceSetter Rainier™ in Kalamazoo - a 100% recycled-fiber paperboard alternative to bleached board.

September 2023 - October 2024

Advancing the Foundation: Waco construction progressed; advanced material-recovery and automation systems installed to improve yield and reduce environmental impact.

October 2025

Operational Excellence: First commercial-grade paperboard produced at the Waco facility, expanding production capacity to meet demand for circular packaging solutions.

Once fully operational, the Waco facility will provide the scale and capability to advance more sustainable, recycled packaging solutions broadly across North America.