RDM Group hits 2025 sustainability targets as circular economy model delivers results

Leading European cartonboard producer, RDM Group, has launched its 2025 Sustainability Report pre-release, revealing the group is on track to meet or exceed its 2030 targets.

Against a backdrop of rising regulatory pressure and growing demand for full value chain accountability, the company is positioning itself as a benchmark for circular packaging systems and cross-industry collaboration.

RDM Group recycled 1058 kilotons of paper in 2025, exceeding the 1055 kilotons of cartonboard it produced during the year. This highlights the company’s key contribution to Europe’s circular paper system and the region’s exceptionally high paper recycling rate. The volume recycled is equivalent to the annual paper waste of roughly 15 million people.

With 89.8% of waste sent for recovery, the group is on the verge of achieving its 2030 target of 90.0%. This progress was supported by higher quality mill waste, stronger partner collaboration, and the contribution of the group's Swedish mill at Fiskeby, where nearly all waste is directed to recovery. Wastewater discharge intensity fell 19% to 8.94 m³ per tonne, also approaching the 2030 goal of 8.85.

Carbon intensity fell 20% from the 2020 baseline to 0.397 tCO2e per tonne, driven by a sharp jump in green electricity purchases from 42% in 2024 to 79% in 2025, alongside process efficiency gains and more balanced mill utilisation.

Innovation milestones

Last year marked a breakthrough year for RDM Group’s innovation in recycled packaging, with a series of new products pushing the boundaries of what fibre based materials can achieve.

Vincicoat Ecolaminate, developed over two years with Ecopol, combines recycled cartonboard with a biodegradable PVOH barrier film. This first of its kind solution enables recycled board to be used in sensitive food applications while remaining recyclable after use. Its potential to advance circular packaging was recognised with the innovation Award at the 4evergreen Alliance Circularity Success Stories Awards.

Vincicoat Plus challenges the perception that recycled board must compromise on performance, delivering 15 to 20% higher strength than standard white lined chipboard and enabling packaging weight reductions of up to 20%. It completed customer validation and launched in February 2026.

Most recently, RDM Group launched Multiboard CirculaRR, a PE coated board made from 100% recycled fibres and 100% recycled plastic.

Together, the launches reflect the company’s strategy to remove traditional trade offs between recyclability, performance, and functionality in fibre based packaging.

CEO Michele Bianchi said, ‘Putting ESG at the heart of our strategy has made us financially and operationally more resilient, more innovative, and more responsive to our clients' needs. Our business exists to give new life to materials that would otherwise become waste — a principle that remains fundamental to our long term strategy. We believe sustainability is not only a responsibility, but a source of competitive advantage, and we hope our approach can serve as a positive example of the value created by putting sustainability first.’

Looking ahead to 2030, RDM Group has identified four priorities: health and safety, greater value from circularity, customer satisfaction through quality and service, and ongoing product innovation.