Your packaging is your strongest sales driver

Home of fiber – Technology for fiber-based packaging

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Plastic-free packaging is not merely a trend, it is a market requirement.

Cost parity with plastic is becoming a reality.

First impressions matter, and at the point of sale, your packaging is often your strongest sales driver. In markets characterized by ever-shorter decision-making processes, increasing regulation, and growing competitive pressure, one thing is clear: packaging makes all the difference today.

Fiber-based packaging made from paper, cardboard, or molded pulp creates exactly this competitive edge. Where brands need differentiation, performance, and future-proofing, it combines high functionality with economic efficiency and strong visual impact.

You benefit from closed material cycles, reduced disposal costs, and regulatory reliability – today and tomorrow. Above all, you gain creative freedom for striking designs, a clear material aesthetic, and packaging solutions that visibly enhance your products on the shelf.

Relying on fiber-based packaging enables you to position your brand clearly, credibly, and sustainably right at the point of sale.

Feasibility check Ask a question

Plastic-free packaging is not merely a trend, it is a market requirement.

Cost parity with plastic is becoming a reality.

Relying on fiber-based packaging enables you to position your brand clearly, credibly, and sustainably right at the point of sale.

Feasibility check Ask a question

As unique as your product – reinventing fiber-based packaging

Each product has unique requirements in terms of protection, handling, design, and efficiency. This is exactly where our technologies come in. We deliver tailor-made solutions for rigid packaging formats: whether paperboard, molded pulp, or dry molded fiber, we have the most comprehensive technology portfolio for fiber-based packaging on the market.

Your benefits:

reliable product protection, even for sensitive or food-related applications
high design flexibility for differentiated packaging concepts
integrated barrier technologies for functional safety
fully integrated processes from filling and sealing to secondary packaging

The key to these advantages lies in choosing the right technology. Explore our portfolio and find the ideal solution for your application.

Explore our technology portfolio

As unique as your product – reinventing fiber-based packaging

Your benefits:

reliable product protection, even for sensitive or food-related applications
high design flexibility for differentiated packaging concepts
integrated barrier technologies for functional safety
fully integrated processes from filling and sealing to secondary packaging

The key to these advantages lies in choosing the right technology. Explore our portfolio and find the ideal solution for your application.

Explore our technology portfolio

We think like a partner and act like one, too.

Give us 90 seconds to convince you

Your one-stop-shop partner for market-ready fiber-based packaging

From the initial idea to stable series production: We support you in successfully bringing fiber-based packaging to the market. As a partner, we don’t think in terms of individual technologies, but in solutions that fit your products, your goals, and your production reality.

Together, we develop functional and scalable packaging concepts that stand out, while always keeping the bigger picture in mind: market requirements, production reliability, investment security, and your brand’s impact at the point of sale. Our goal is to reduce complexity and give you planning certainty for today and the flexibility to shape tomorrow.

Schedule a personal consultation

Collaborative product development

From the initial idea to the market‑ready product: we support you with simulations, material development, and prototype manufacturing. This results in customized prototypes that meet ecological requirements, deliver strong functional performance, and differentiate your brand.

Full scope turnkey expertise

Efficiency from one source: Beyond innovative machine technology, we provide complete form‑fill‑seal lines and end‑of‑line systems – integrating the full process chain for maximum product safety, cost efficiency, and future‑proof production.

Picture of two people holding fiber-based packaging

Tailored solutions instead of compromises

Dry molded fiber and paper forming deliver maximum performance with the highest level of design flexibility. Complemented by flexible paperboard solutions and the capability to process paper and dry molded fiber on a single production line.

Which idea would you like to turn into reality?

What are your requirements?

Request a feasibility assessment from us

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Focused on your product and your production requirements Technology building blocks: from material to full production line

Dry Molded Fiber

With our Dry Molded Fiber technology, you set new standards in performance and design flexibility. Loose fibers are compressed directly within the mold to form high-strength packaging – efficient, material-saving, and highly precise.

Your benefits:

Highest performance combined with maximum design flexibility (Shape Agility)
Superior product quality with minimal material costs thanks to the inline Mill-to-Web process
Ideal for packaging requiring high product protection, complex deep shapes, and high aspect ratios

A very first in the industry: Optima enables paper forming and dry molded fiber on the same system. This delivers maximum flexibility for your product portfolio and opens up new ways to replace plastics with fiber-based solutions.

Paperboard Forming

With our Paperboard Technology, you can produce cup-shaped containers and cans from carton blanks or directly from the roll. Various material structures enable gas-tight solutions in round, oval, or square designs with flexible bottom and closure concepts.

Your benefits:

Gas-tight can solutions with high barrier performance without aluminum
Flexible sealing concepts for individual packaging designs
High material flexibility with no fixed supply contracts or material dependencies. This enables a cost-efficient and independent supply chain through free supplier selection, reduced storage requirements, and efficient transport

The result: a flexible, cost-efficient packaging solution that scales effortlessly, even for smaller batch sizes or frequently changing product variants.

Paper Thermoforming

Our technology for forming paper and other moldable fiber-based materials opens up new design possibilities.

Your benefits:

Processing of treated papers with barrier and sealing layers, various pulp types, and highly stretchable materials
A broad range of applications, from high-product-protection packaging and tight-tolerance components to multi-cavity packaging
High barrier performance through integrated lamination technology (recyclable or compostable)

Gain design freedom, process reliability, and a clear competitive advantage at the point of sale.

Product sample fiber-based packaging: Barrier coating technologies

Barrier Technologies

Our fiber-based technologies offer flexible solutions for a wide range of barrier requirements. In addition to pre-treated materials in the paperboard and paper segment, technologies such as pre-spray solutions, high-performance lamination, and fiber treatment processes are used.

Your benefits:

Targeted integration of water, oil, and grease barriers
Possibility to laminate ultra-thin barrier films (from 30 µm)
High material flexibility (bio-based films, compostable barriers, and new polymer types)

The result: recyclable packaging with high fiber recovery rates or compostable alternatives, depending on your requirements, supporting the global standardization of packaging solutions.

Dr.-Ing Sven Jacobsen, Senior Fiber Development Manager Amcor Global Core R&D

Optima’s Dry Molded Fiber technology demonstrates for the first time that DMF can now be economically scaled at an industrial level.

Dr.-Ing Sven Jacobsen, Senior Fiber Development Manager Amcor Global Core R&D

Podcast
Home of fiber – the future of fiber-based packaging

Fiber-based packaging is currently transforming an entire industry.
But what’s behind it? Which technologies are ready for mass production, and where do the real challenges lie?

In the podcast Home of fiber – the future of fiber-based packaging, we dive deep into the world of fiber-based packaging. Our experts discuss technological breakthroughs, lessons learned from development and industrialization – and why the way we view packaging is fundamentally changing right now. Because suddenly, this statement rings true: Fiber is no more expensive than plastic.

A development that is changing a lot – and one that we explore from different perspectives in the podcast.

It’s worth a listen – for anyone who wants to know what Fiber is really capable of. And what’s coming next.

Listen now

Mockup Laptop und Smartphone showing podcast Home of fiber

Podcast
Home of fiber – the future of fiber-based packaging

Fiber-based packaging is currently transforming an entire industry.
But what’s behind it? Which technologies are ready for mass production, and where do the real challenges lie?

A development that is changing a lot – and one that we explore from different perspectives in the podcast.

It’s worth a listen – for anyone who wants to know what Fiber is really capable of. And what’s coming next.

Listen now

Do you have any questions about fiber-based packaging or would you like to discuss your specific requirements with us?

Dominik Bröllochs

Director Fiber Solutions

+49 791 506-0 Write e-mail

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Dominik Bröllochs

Director Fiber Solutions

+49 791 506-0 Write e-mail

Exciting blog articles on fiber-based packaging

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the advantages of fiber-based packaging over plastic?
Fiber-based packaging is made from renewable raw materials, has a high recycling rate, and is therefore considered particularly environmentally friendly. It is biodegradable and has a lower carbon footprint than many plastics. In addition, it offers good printability and a sustainable brand impact, which is well received by consumers. With stricter regulations for plastics, fiber-based solutions also offer a future-proof alternative for many packaging applications.
What legal requirements promote the use of fiber-based packaging?
The new European packaging requirements (PPWR) promote the use of fiber-based packaging by setting stricter recyclability requirements from 2026 onwards and restricting plastics that are difficult to recycle and oversized packaging. At the same time, the PPWR harmonizes packaging rules across the EU and obliges companies to adhere to clear design-for-recycling standards, giving preference to easily recyclable materials such as paper and cardboard. The German Packaging Implementation Act implements these requirements at the national level and increases the recycling quota requirements, especially for plastic waste, which further favors fiber-based alternatives. Overall, these regulations ensure that sustainable packaging materials with high recyclability are strengthened in the market.
How flexible is Optima when I have different package sizes and designs?
Optima is very flexible when it comes to different package sizes and designs. The machines have a modular design and can therefore cover a wide range of formats and changing requirements, such as the OPTIMA LS/OS8, which supports package sizes from 160×120×100 mm to 600×500×300 mm and is suitable for highly fluctuating requirements thanks to its modular design. Other Optima systems, such as the OPTIMA OSR, also offer fast format changes and a wide range of packaging formats, enabling a high degree of adaptability. In addition, Optima machines can generally be configured to meet customer-specific requirements, allowing them to efficiently process different product sizes, consistencies, and design variants.
Are barrier coatings a problem for recycling?
Yes, barrier coatings can be a problem for recycling, especially if they are made of plastic or aluminum. Studies show that hybrid paper-plastic packaging is difficult to recycle today because separating fibers and barrier materials is technically complex, cost-intensive, and often inefficient. Many barriers mean that paper packaging cannot be completely broken down in the standard waste paper process, which significantly limits material recycling. However, research and industry are working on new water-based or printable barrier solutions that are designed to maintain product protection but significantly improve recyclability.
What machine solutions does Optima offer for fiber-based packaging?
Optima offers several machine and technology solutions specifically for fiber-based packaging. These include systems for molded cardboard and paper packaging, such as cups, cans, portion packs, and refill applications, which Optima already offers as fiber-based alternatives in its portfolio. Another key area for the future is dry molded fiber technology, which Optima is industrializing in collaboration with the Swedish company PulPac. This technology enables the shaping of complex fiber-based products such as blister packs, coffee capsules, and closures—including barrier coating and optional filling and end-of-line packaging systems. Optima develops customized machine solutions for large-volume production and positions itself as a “one-stop shop” for complete fiber packaging processes, from shaping to final packaging. Overall, Optima offers a broad machine portfolio for sustainable, fiber-based applications that supports both the replacement of traditional plastic packaging and new product categories.

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