Green Bay Packaging: A Complete Guide to the Integrated Packaging Leader

Green Bay Packaging is a major player in the North American packaging industry, known for its commitment to environmental innovation and its vertically integrated business model.

Here is a complete article that details the company’s structure, services, and commitment to sustainability.

Green Bay Packaging: A Complete Guide to the Integrated Packaging Leader

Green Bay Packaging (GBP) is an American, family-owned company with a rich history dating back to 1933. It stands out in the competitive packaging industry for its comprehensive, integrated approach—managing the entire production cycle from sustainable forestry to the finished corrugated box—and its aggressive pursuit of environmental sustainability.

1. Introduction: Green Bay Packaging (GBP) at a Glance

Defining GBP: The Vertically Integrated, Family-Owned Leader

GBP is a vertically integrated paper and packaging manufacturer. Vertical integration is key to their success; it means the company owns and controls every step of production, from managing the timberlands (fiber source) and running the paper mills (creating the raw material) to operating the corrugated box plants (creating the final product).

A History of Innovation: From 1933 to Today

Founded by George and Marguerite Kress, the company began as a manufacturer of corrugated boxes. Throughout its history, GBP has been a pioneer in sustainability, notably becoming one of the first companies to develop a closed water process for paper production in the 1970s, long before environmental standards required it.

The Core Business Model: Why Vertical Integration Matters

This model provides several competitive advantages:

Quality Control: Ensures consistent quality of the containerboard used in every box.
Supply Reliability: Provides a hedge against volatile raw material markets by securing its own fiber supply.
Cost Efficiency: Streamlines logistics and reduces external supply chain costs.

2. Comprehensive Product and Material Portfolio

GBP’s product lines cover the full scope of packaging needs, from basic shipping containers to high-end retail labels.

Corrugated Packaging Solutions: Custom Boxes for All Needs

This is the largest segment of GBP’s business, utilizing its own containerboard to create protective and promotional packaging.

Standard Brown Boxes to High-Graphic Retail Packaging: Manufacturing ranges from conventional, low-cost shipping containers to highly customized boxes featuring full-color lithography for maximum brand impact.
Specialty Products: E-commerce and Retail-Ready Packaging:
- E-commerce Solutions: Designing optimal packaging to meet strict requirements for major online retailers (e.g., Amazon APASS certification).
- Retail-Ready Packaging (RRP): Boxes designed to transition directly from the delivery truck to the store shelf, minimizing handling and maximizing visual appeal (often featuring the patented Perfect Perf™ for easy opening).

Paper Mill Operations: The Source of the Fiber

GBP maintains a Balanced Mill System, which is crucial to its sustainable operations and high-quality product.

The Balanced Mill System: Virgin Fiber vs. 100% Recycled Mills: GBP operates both virgin fiber mills (like Arkansas Kraft Mill Division) and 100% recycled paper mills (like the Green Bay Mill Division). This balance allows them to choose the optimal, sustainable fiber blend for different customer requirements.
Containerboard Products (Linerboard and Medium): These mills produce the thick paper (linerboard for strength, medium for fluting) that forms the raw material for corrugated boxes.

Folding Cartons and Coated Products

Folding Cartons: Lightweight, high-graphic packaging used for consumer goods where shelf appeal and protective structure are essential (e.g., food, cosmetics).
Coated Label Products: Pressure-sensitive label roll stock used for consumer product labeling, including specialty applications like dissolvable adhesives and films for plastic recyclability.

3. Integrated Design, Testing, and System Services

To ensure a customer’s product is protected from the factory floor to the consumer’s hands, GBP provides comprehensive support services.

In-House Design and Prototyping

Structural and Graphic Design Teams: GBP employs designers who work directly with customers to develop packaging that is both structurally sound and visually compelling.
Creating Custom POP (Point-of-Purchase) Displays: Specialists engineer temporary and semi-permanent retail displays that are designed to be cost-effective, easy to assemble, and optimized to drive impulse purchases.

Quality and Testing Services

GBP operates in-house testing labs to simulate the rigors of the supply chain.

Certification	Purpose	Benefit to Customer
ISTA Certification	International testing standards (ranging from 1A to 6A) for package performance.	Guarantees the packaging will survive normal shipping and handling.
Amazon APASS Certified	Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier Network certification.	Ensures packaging meets Amazon’s requirements for ships-in-product-packaging (SIPP) programs, avoiding chargebacks.

Packaging Systems and Automation

Consulting on Automation and End-of-Line Equipment: GBP’s team provides expertise in integrating machinery (like case packers and tray erectors) to automate the customer’s packaging line.
Solutions for Labor Challenges and Productivity Improvement: These automation solutions are frequently implemented to reduce labor costs, increase line speed (often by 3x or more), and improve workplace safety by reducing repetitive motion injuries.

4. Leadership in Environmental Sustainability

Green Bay Packaging has consistently been recognized as an environmental leader in a resource-intensive industry, setting standards for sustainability and circularity.

The Net-Zero Water Achievement: World’s First Validation for a Paper Mill

GBP’s Green Bay Mill Division, which uses 100% recycled fiber, was the first paper mill in the world to achieve Net-Zero Water UL environmental validation. This means the mill reclaims, treats, and reuses its process water in a circular system, preventing wastewater discharge into the local watershed (such as the Fox River).

The Balanced Fiber Model: Responsible Sourcing from Certified Timberlands

The company manages over 250,000 acres of timberlands and ensures fiber sourcing meets strict international standards, including Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification. This commitment guarantees that fiber is harvested ethically and ecologically.

Waste Reduction and Diversion Goals

GBP has an aggressive zero waste to landfill initiative, with many of its box and carton converting operations achieving over 90% landfill diversion. This is accomplished by finding sustainable outlets for manufacturing waste and excess materials.

GHG Reduction and Energy Efficiency Initiatives

The new state-of-the-art Green Bay Mill was designed with cutting-edge technology that has resulted in a significant reduction in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption per ton of paper produced compared to its predecessor. The mill captures biogas from wastewater to generate renewable energy for its operations.

5. Operational Footprint and Customer Value

Geographic Scope: The Network of Over 40 Locations Nationwide

With facilities, including mills, converting plants, and distribution centers, spread across North America, GBP provides reliable coverage and fast service to clients operating regionally and nationally.

Speed to Market: Localized Production and Distribution

By utilizing its decentralized structure, GBP can produce packaging near the end-user. This reduces transit time and cost, allowing customers to get products to market faster.

The Value of Integration: Quality Control from Forest to Final Box

Customers benefit from the single-source reliability offered by GBP. This vertical integration ensures product consistency and simplified problem-solving—if there is a quality issue, the company controls the entire process chain to find a solution.

6. Conclusion: A Legacy of Quality and Commitment to the Future of Packaging

Green Bay Packaging Inc. has maintained its position as an industry leader for over 90 years through a powerful commitment to two principles: quality innovation and environmental stewardship. The company’s integrated mill system and network of converting plants offer customers a full suite of packaging solutions, backed by a proven track record of sustainability achievements, including the world’s first Net-Zero Water recycled paper mill.

Takeaway:

GBP is Vertically Integrated: Controlling the entire supply chain from timberlands to final box, ensuring quality and reliability.
Sustainability is Core: The company operates the world’s first Net-Zero Water recycled paper mill and uses a balanced blend of virgin and recycled fiber.
Services are Comprehensive: Offers custom structural design, ISTA testing, and packaging automation consulting.
Look for the Certifications: GBP’s compliance with ISTA, APASS, and SFI standards guarantees supply-chain ready, sustainable packaging.