Paperization: The Drive to Replace Plastic – What’s Working and What’s Hype?

The last decade has seen a seismic shift in the way businesses, governments, and consumers think about packaging and sustainability. With increasing regulatory pressures, consumer demand for eco-friendly alternatives, and corporate ESG commitments, one material has re-emerged as a frontrunner in the battle to replace plastic: paper.

This movement – sometimes called paperization – reflects the rapid push to swap single-use plastics with paper-based alternatives in everything from retail bags and takeaway cups to food packaging and e-commerce shipping. But as with most sustainability trends, the story is more nuanced than the headlines suggest.

So, what’s working, and what’s just hype?

Where Paperization Is Succeeding

1. Retail and E-commerce Packaging
Retailers and e-commerce giants have successfully transitioned from plastic to paper in shipping boxes, filler materials, and bags. Paper is strong, cost-effective, and widely recycled in established waste streams, making it an attractive replacement.

2. Straws, Cups, and Utensils – To a Point
Paper straws and cups, once seen as niche, are now mainstream. Large hospitality chains have adopted them globally, aligning with consumer expectations and regulatory requirements. While the consumer experience isn’t always perfect (who hasn’t had a paper straw dissolve mid-drink?), the market has adjusted, and innovation in coatings and fiber strength continues.

3. Branding and Consumer Perception
Paper’s look and feel align with consumer notions of sustainability. Packaging that signals “natural” or “recyclable” can strengthen brand equity, particularly when paired with credible sustainability commitments.

The Challenges Behind the Hype

1. Environmental Trade-Offs
While paper is renewable and widely recycled, its production is resource-intensive. Pulp and paper manufacturing requires significant water, energy, and chemicals, and large-scale deforestation remains a concern. Without sustainable forestry practices, paperization risks shifting one environmental burden for another.

2. Functional Limitations
Plastics often outperform paper in durability, barrier protection (for moisture, grease, and oxygen), and cost efficiency. For perishable food, pharmaceuticals, and many consumer goods, plastic’s functional superiority remains hard to match.

3. Recycling Realities
Not all paper is created equal. Paper packaging with plastic or chemical coatings can be difficult to recycle. If consumers are unclear about how to dispose of these items, the end result may still be landfill.

4. Cost Pressures
In high-volume industries, paper alternatives can be significantly more expensive than plastic. This creates tension between sustainability goals and economic realities, especially in sectors with tight margins.

What Leaders Should Be Asking

As paperization accelerates, executives should move beyond the hype and consider:

• Lifecycle impacts: What is the true environmental footprint from sourcing through disposal?

• Innovation potential: Where can technology (e.g., barrier coatings, fiber engineering, hybrid materials) close the performance gap with plastics?

• Regulatory fit: How do packaging choices align with current and emerging legislation across global markets?

• Consumer behavior: Will customers actually recycle or compost the paper products provided?

The Bottom Line

Paperization is neither a panacea nor a passing fad. It is one chapter in the broader story of how industries are rethinking materials to meet sustainability goals. The winners will be those companies that cut through the hype, assess trade-offs with rigor, and invest in innovation that delivers both functional performance and genuine environmental benefit.

At Athena Executive Search, we see this shift influencing talent agendas across packaging, FMCG, and industrials. Leaders with deep expertise in sustainable materials, supply chain transformation, and regulatory navigation are increasingly in demand. Paperization isn’t just about packaging – it’s about strategy, innovation, and the leadership needed to navigate disruption.

Call to Action
If your organisation is navigating the challenges and opportunities of sustainable packaging, the right leadership makes all the difference. At Athena Executive Search, we connect businesses with the talent needed to deliver real impact in sustainability, innovation, and growth.

Let’s start a conversation about how we can help you build the leadership team to thrive in a paperized future.

Contact us today at enquiries@athena-executive.com