American packaging company Graphic Packaging has announced that the construction of its recycled paperboard facility in Waco, Texas has achieved a key milestone.

This was marked by Graphic Packaging CEO Mike Doss’ visit to the Waco site.

Doss and the company’s leaders together signed the first piece of structural steel to be hung at the construction site.

This is one of the 2,600 structural steel pieces that are required for the new facility.

The latest development comes months after the company announced its plans to construct a recycled paperboard facility in Waco in early 2023.

Being constructed to support Graphic Packaging’s renewable future vision, the plant is expected to commence production activities in 2026.

Once open, the facility will help the company in boosting the availability of recycled content for manufacturing sustainable consumer packaging.

It will further reinforce Graphic Packaging’s commitment to minimise waste and protect the environment.

Graphic Packaging CEO Mike Doss said: “The main driver for the move is the end-use consumer.

“They are concerned about landfills filling up and pollution in general, and we take those concerns very seriously. We are responding with big investments in our coated recycled paperboard mill in Kalamazoo, and now this new greenfield mill in Waco.”

The new plant, situated in Texas triangle, will have easy access to strong supply of recycled fibre materials directly from the region’s urban centres.

The company said it is due to the strategic location of the plant, located within “200mi [miles] of around 80% of Texas population”.

The facility will utilise modern and smart technologies for manufacturing recycled paperboard, Graphic Packaging added.

It will have a capacity to recycle fibre from up to 15 million paper cups per day.

A responsible packaging alternative, recycled paperboard can be used for making everyday products, ranging from pasta to cereal.

Doss added: “Our Waco mill is designed to enable the recycling of 100% of our own internally generated paperboard side rolls and waste.”