Pro Carton reports 8% cut in fossil carbon emissions across European cartonboard sector

SWITZERLAND – Pro Carton has announced that the European carton packaging industry has achieved an 8% reduction in cradle-to-gate fossil carbon emissions since 2021, underscoring continued progress toward a lower-carbon, bio-based economy.

The findings come from Pro Carton’s 2025 Carbon Footprint of Carton Packaging Study, conducted by Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) and independently verified by Institut für Energie- und Umweltforschung (ifeu) in Germany.

According to the study, the sector’s annual cradle-to-gate fossil carbon footprint declined from 929 kg CO₂ equivalent per tonne in 2021 to 854 kg CO₂ equivalent per tonne in 2024.

The analysis draws on data from 70 production sites, representing approximately 60% of European cartonboard output and 16% of folding carton production sites across Europe, offering a broad snapshot of industry-wide decarbonization efforts.

Pro Carton attributes the reduction primarily to sustained investment in cleaner energy systems.

Between 2021 and 2024, mills reduced the share of fossil fuels in their energy mix from 46% to 39%, accelerating the shift toward wood-based biofuels and renewable heat generation.

This transition alone avoided an estimated 60 kg CO₂ equivalent of fossil emissions per tonne of production.

Electricity sourcing also showed marked improvement. The share of low-carbon electricity used at mills rose from 23% to 66%, driven by direct investments in green infrastructure and renewable power procurement agreements.

Pro Carton further notes that carbon absorbed during forest growth of the wood used in cartonboard production significantly exceeds the fossil emissions generated during manufacturing, reinforcing the sector’s bio-based credentials.

The study also assessed emissions from the converting stage, where cartonboard is transformed into finished packaging.

Converting accounts for 21% of the total cradle-to-gate footprint, while direct on-site emissions from print drying and heating represent around 2%, highlighting further opportunities for efficiency gains.

The announcement comes amid broader sustainability momentum across the fibre-based packaging sector.

Last month, Tetra Pak revealed a €60 million investment in a pilot plant for paper-based barrier technologies designed to enable up to 80% paper content and 92% renewable content in a single aseptic carton.

The facility is expected to provide customers with deeper insight into barrier production and packaging material integration processes.

Together, these developments signal a continued strategic push by Europe’s fibre packaging industry to strengthen decarbonization pathways while maintaining performance and scalability.

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