Lucart – EcoNatural: A Fully Circular Paper & Dispenser System Made from Recycled Beverage Cartons

Lucart is a multinational group that promotes a sustainable way of making paper. This is achieved by adopting a systemic approach designed to optimise the use of raw materials and to reduce waste by turning it into new resources. Lucart produces tissue products (paper products for everyday use, including toilet paper, kitchen towel, napkins, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, etc.), as well as airlaid and MG paper products.

Lucart’s EcoNatural project is a large‑scale circular economy initiative that transforms used beverage cartons into two new raw materials: Fiberpack^®, a high‑quality recycled cellulose fibre used to produce tissue products, and Al.Pe.^®, a homogeneous recycled aluminium‑polyethylene blend used to create dispensers and other durable items. Developed through a proprietary separation process launched in 2010, EcoNatural enables the full recovery of all components of poly‑laminated food cartons, i.e. materials that were historically difficult to recycle and often landfilled.

EcoNatural is fully implemented in two of Lucart’s production sites in Europe: Borgo a Mozzano (Italy) and Laval‑sur‑Vologne (France), making it a genuinely cross‑border, “Made in Europe” circular innovation.
Between 2013 and 2024, the project has recovered more than 12.5 billion beverage cartons.
EcoNatural demonstrates how industrial innovation can close loops, reduce virgin resource extraction, and convert a complex waste stream into new high‑value products.

Potential future developments

Lucart envisions further expansion of EcoNatural by increasing Fiberpack^® production capacity, extending Al.Pe.^® applications, and strengthening industrial symbiosis partnerships. Through Newpal S.p.A., a joint venture with CPR System, Lucart already transforms Al.Pe.^® into high‑quality recycled pallets, thereby demonstrating how circular materials can fuel new industries and replace fossil‑based plastics. This model can be expanded into additional long‑life plastic applications.

Future developments include investments in advanced recycling technologies, new end‑markets for Al.Pe.^® granulate, greater integration of renewable energy in manufacturing, and continued decarbonisation aligned with EU climate targets. The dual‑site structure (Italy and France) positions EcoNatural to scale across Europe, strengthening the continent’s resilience in bio‑based materials and supporting high‑quality employment in the regions where Lucart operates.

EcoNatural is a mature, scalable innovation ready to grow into a broader European circular platform for fibre and composite recycling.

Current contribution

EcoNatural contributes directly to the EU bioeconomy by replacing virgin cellulose with sustainably recovered fibres and by converting aluminium‑polyethylene waste into durable, recyclable products. Through Fiberpack^®, Lucart reduces pressure on forests by limiting use of natural resources, while Al.Pe.^® supports new European value chains in dispensing systems, pallets, and other long‑life applications.

The project supports regional employment and industrial capacity in Italy and France, strengthens local recycling ecosystems, and reduces waste disposal through the full valorisation of beverage cartons previously considered difficult to recycle. EcoNatural has already delivered major climate benefits across Europe by avoiding more than 327,000 tonnes of CO₂e and eliminating significant volumes of landfill waste.

As a fully operational, multi‑site circular model, EcoNatural embodies “Made in Europe” innovation: technologically advanced, regionally rooted, climate‑positive, and aligned with EU objectives for decarbonisation, resource efficiency, and a competitive circular bioeconomy.