Global leader in sustainable consumer packaging, Graphic Packaging, has added to its growing list of industry honours with a duo of wins at the 2025 Environmental Packaging Awards. 

Both awards acknowledge how intelligently designed paperboard packaging can support brand and retailer packaging sustainability goals while maintaining product quality, shelf-life, operational efficiency, and consumer satisfaction. 

Gold in the Chilled/Frozen category went to the PaperSealᵐᶜ Shape tray developed in collaboration with Pilgrim’s Europe for Sainsbury’s breaded chicken range. The pack reduces plastic by up to 82% per tray, eliminating over 300 metric tons of plastic annually from the retailer’s supply chain. It’s also recyclable under OPRL guidelines in UK household waste streams without the need to remove the barrier liner, giving consumers a simple and convenient way to recycle the pack after use. 

Silver in the Fresh Fruit & Vegetables category was awarded to the ProducePackᵐᶜ Punnet tray. Designed for fresh produce applications such as mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, grapes, and berries, the punnet tray has shown, via independent testing, to provide a longer shelf life and a lower carbon footprint than plastic punnet trays.  

The punnet tray is recyclable in household waste streams and can be classified as plastic-free according to the Single-Use Plastic Directive under certain conditions. 

“Winning both Gold and Silver at the Environmental Packaging Awards is welcome recognition of the work that our team and our partners put into driving meaningful change”, said Tom Garsed, general manager, tray and cup solutions at Graphic Packaging.  

“These innovations reduce plastic at scale, are operationally efficient to produce, and offer consumers the more circular packaging they’re demanding. Our aim is to create paperboard packaging that is more circular, more functional, and more convenient than the plastic it replaces, and these tray innovations do just that.”  

To learn more about Graphic Packaging’s tray portfolio, visit our website.