How Specialized Packaging Group Is Rethinking Corrugated Packaging Through Design, Efficiency and Lifecycle Thinking

As the corrugated packaging industry continues to evolve, customers are increasingly looking for solutions that balance performance, material efficiency, sustainability and supply-chain requirements. These changing expectations are driving greater focus on packaging design, lifecycle thinking and innovation.

As part of its Leadership Insights series, Pulp & Paper Chronicle spoke with Joe Gumbis, CCO of Specialized Packaging Group, about the changing role of corrugated packaging, the relationship between performance and sustainability, material and structural innovation, lifecycle considerations, customer expectations and the future of sustainable packaging.

1. The changing role of corrugated packaging

Corrugated packaging has traditionally been valued primarily for its strength, protection, and cost efficiency. How is the role of corrugated packaging evolving as brands place greater emphasis on material efficiency, sustainability, and circularity?

What is changing is how companies define a successful package by making packaging part of a broader business and sustainability strategy. Customers are looking more closely at material use, sourcing, supply-chain efficiency and end of life. Corrugated still needs to protect the product, perform through the supply chain and make economic sense, but it has an advantage because it is well established within recycling infrastructure. The opportunity now is to build on that foundation through better engineering, material efficiency and designs that deliver the required performance without unnecessary material.

2. Balancing performance and sustainability

There is often a perception that improving sustainability can involve compromises in packaging performance. From your perspective, how can the industry achieve both high performance and improved environmental outcomes?

I don't see performance and sustainability as competing objectives. In many cases, better engineering can improve both. The goal should be to use the right amount of material in the right places to protect the product and perform through the supply chain. The best solutions consider the specific application and balance protection, material efficiency and supply-chain performance to deliver both environmental and business value.

3. Material efficiency and innovation

What are some of the most significant innovations in materials and manufacturing that are helping corrugated packaging achieve greater material efficiency without compromising protection or functionality?

Material innovation is important, but some of the biggest opportunities also come from choosing the right combination of materials and design for each application. Advances in structural design, testing and manufacturing allow engineers to match packaging to the product and its supply-chain conditions. This can reduce unnecessary material while maintaining the strength and protection packaging requires. In some applications, designing packaging for reuse or redeployment can also extend the value of the material within a supply chain. We’re also seeing greater focus on recycled and renewable inputs and compatibility with existing recovery systems.

4. Structural design as a sustainability lever

How can structural and packaging design contribute to reducing material use, improving product protection, and minimizing waste? Are there particular design approaches you believe will become increasingly important?

Structural design is one of the most practical ways to improve packaging efficiency. A package doesn't always need more material to provide more protection. Right-sizing is another important consideration. Eliminating unnecessary space can reduce material use while allowing more products to fit on a pallet, truck or in a warehouse. This improves both packaging and transportation efficiency.

5. Moisture resistance and performance

Moisture resistance remains an important requirement for many packaging applications, but conventional approaches can create challenges at the end of a package’s life. How is the industry addressing this balance between performance, recyclability, and circularity?

Moisture resistance is a good example of why packaging decisions need to consider both performance and end-of-life. Some applications require additional moisture protection, so the challenge is finding solutions that meet those requirements while remaining compatible with recovery and recycling systems. Advances in barrier technologies and coatings are helping address that challenge. Ultimately, the right solution depends on the application. A package that fails to protect the product can create more waste and environmental impact than the packaging itself.

6. Designing for the full lifecycle

How important is lifecycle thinking when developing the next generation of corrugated packaging? What factors should packaging manufacturers and brands consider beyond the production stage?

Lifecycle thinking means looking beyond what happens inside the manufacturing facility. We need to consider where materials come from, how efficiently packaging is produced, how it moves and is stored, how well it protects the product and what happens after use. In some applications, there may also be opportunities to reuse or redeploy corrugated packaging within a supply chain rather than treating it as a single-use solution. Packaging decisions can affect freight, warehousing, product damage, labor and waste. Those factors should be considered from the beginning of the design process.

7. Moving beyond conventional sustainability measures

Sustainability discussions often focus on metrics such as recycled content, recyclability, or material reduction individually. How should companies think about these factors collectively when evaluating the overall sustainability of a packaging solution?

Companies should avoid evaluating sustainability by a single metric. Recycled content, recyclability and material reduction all matter, but none tells the whole story. The better approach is to evaluate packaging as a system, considering materials, manufacturing, transportation, product protection and recovery together.

8. The role of collaboration

Achieving meaningful progress in sustainable packaging often requires collaboration between converters, material suppliers, brands, retailers, and recyclers. Where do you see the greatest opportunities for collaboration across the value chain?

The greatest opportunities often come from bringing different parts of the supply chain together earlier in the design process. Packaging, operations, logistics and sustainability teams each bring a different perspective, and those insights can lead to better solutions when considered together. We work closely with customers to understand not only what they are packaging, but how the package moves through their business. That broader view can uncover opportunities that aren't obvious when packaging is treated as a commodity.

9. Customer expectations and market change

What are customers increasingly asking for from corrugated packaging suppliers, and how are those expectations influencing product development and innovation at Specialized Packaging Group?

Customers are asking more about material efficiency, sustainability and overall packaging performance. The conversation has moved beyond cost to questions about reducing damage, improving transportation efficiency, using materials effectively and supporting sustainability goals.

10. Scaling sustainable innovation

The packaging industry has seen considerable innovation in recent years, but bringing new solutions to scale can be challenging. What do you see as the biggest barriers to wider adoption, and how can the industry overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges is moving from a promising technology or prototype to a solution that works consistently at commercial scale. An innovation must meet performance requirements, make economic sense, integrate into existing operations and be available at the scale customers need. That requires collaboration across the value chain and testing in real-world applications. Ultimately, adoption depends on whether a solution solves a real problem effectively and delivers value beyond what is already available.

11. The future of corrugated packaging

Looking ahead over the next five to ten years, what developments do you expect to have the greatest impact on corrugated packaging in terms of materials, design, performance, and sustainability?

Over the next five to ten years, I expect packaging development to focus increasingly on optimization. We’ll see continued innovation in materials and barrier technologies, along with advances in structural design, automation, testing and data-driven development. There will also be greater emphasis on material efficiency, transportation and storage density and lifecycle considerations. Packaging engineering and supply-chain engineering will become increasingly connected as companies recognize how directly packaging affects storage, handling, transportation and product protection.

12. Leadership perspective

As CCO of Specialized Packaging Group, what do you believe the industry needs to do differently today to ensure that the next generation of corrugated packaging delivers both the performance customers expect and the circularity the market increasingly demands?

The industry needs to treat sustainability and performance as part of the same conversation. Customers need packaging that protects their products, performs economically and uses resources responsibly. The next generation of packaging will be defined by how effectively it performs across its entire lifecycle, rather than by a single attribute such as recycled content or recyclability.

Optional closing question

What is one commonly held assumption about sustainable corrugated packaging that you believe the industry should reconsider?

One assumption the industry should reconsider is that sustainable packaging only means using less material.

Material reduction is important, but it needs to be considered alongside product protection, transportation, durability and end-of-life. If using less material leads to product damage, inefficient shipping or additional packaging, the overall impact can be greater.