Food & Beverages
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Save on packaging without sacrificing performance

It’s easy to think that cutting material weight would come at the expense of production efficiency and packaging capability. But you don’t have to choose. Billerud produces cartonboard for lightweight beverage packaging—without compromising performance. As you’ll see in this article, using less material delivers more benefits than you might expect and could reshape the way you think about packaging.

Cut costs, not corners

Cost savings in beverage packaging aren’t just about buying less material. It’s about using less material while maintaining strength, reducing storage and transport costs, and lowering emissions. When you choose a packaging material for beverage products, you need to consider the entire value chain. The initial cost of packaging rolls must be evaluated in the context of its impact on procurement, logistics, and sustainability.

Value chain for beverage paper packaging

Creating value all the way. Lightweight packaging from Billerud helps you reduce operational costs and emissions without jeopardizing packaging performance.

Less material | Save energy and improve production efficiency
Fewer pallets to handle and store | Free up valuable warehouse space
Lower transportation weight | Cut freight expenses and fuel consumption
More units per pallet | Maximize efficiency and minimize logistics costs

Beyond the cost savings, packaging also plays a key role in shelf appeal and consumer experience. Lightweighting doesn’t mean sacrificing visual impact or print quality—quite the opposite. As one of our cases below demonstrates, you can even achieve a brighter, smoother surface for enhanced print quality and stronger shelf presence. Ultimately, this can help your company drive sales and increase revenue.

Great numbers within reach

Many brands have already replaced plastic with paper in their beverage packaging. However, even after making the switch, there might still be room for improvement.

Billerud CrownBoard Craft is a versatile, best-selling, super-strong cartonboard made from 100% fresh fibers. The entire grammage range is optimized for lightweighting, to save cost and reduce environmental impact. Here are two examples of what to expect compared to traditional Coated Unbleached Kraft (CUK) board packaging.

- 13%

Case #1: Four-pack beer packaging

A beverage producer switched from CUK board (20 pt, 380 gsm, 508 µm) to Billerud CrownBoard Craft (20.1 pt, 330 gsm, 510 µm). The result was a 13% lighter material while maintaining performance and durability.

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- 17%

Case #2: Multipack application

To improve resource efficiency, a beverage producer replaced CUK (18 pt, 361 gsm) with Billerud CrownBoard Craft (17.9 pt, 300 gsm, 455 µm). They achieved a 17% lighter material with excellent strength and enhanced print quality (10% brighter, 30% whiter, 12% smoother).