By Will Parker, senior packaging executive and LOUPE ambassador

The folding carton sector is entering a defining phase. Fiber-based packaging has become a central pillar of brand sustainability strategies, and converters are rethinking their production models to meet the growing demand for recyclable, short-run, and high-quality packaging. For many, that journey increasingly leads to flexographic printing, a process once seen as the preserve of labels, now driving a new era of carton innovation.

Will Parker, one of the packaging industry’s most respected commentators and a Labelexpo/LOUPE ambassador, is excited about how flexo is reshaping folding carton production,. Here, converters should focus next and understand why collaboration between OEMs, converters, and brands will define the next chapter.

Labels to cartons: An evolution, not a leap

“Label converters are naturally evolving,” Parker says. “The margin pressure in labels, coupled with customers demanding fiber-based recyclable alternatives to plastics, makes folding cartons an obvious growth path. Many converters already possess the print quality, technical skills and customer relationships, what they need is format expansion rather than reinvention.”

That alignment between skill set and opportunity explains why so many label printers are now looking beyond self-adhesive formats. The transition, Parker says, isn’t about learning a new process but about rethinking the workflow.

“Inline flexo carton lines let converters move seamlessly from roll to finished box in a single pass, removing bottlenecks and unlocking higher value per square metre,” he explains. “My advice for anyone considering this move is start with your customers’ unmet needs, then design your production capability around them, not just the machine spec.”

New market, new mindset

For converters entering cartons for the first time, the biggest challenges are rarely technological. “The biggest challenge isn’t technology; that’s already largely embedded,” says Parker. “It’s mindset, supply chain, and workflow challenge.”

He points to the operational learning curve involved in board handling, diecutting, and carton construction. These are areas that require new thinking even for experienced label printers. “Many label converters underestimate the complexity of post-press operations and carton construction. The key is to build the right partnerships early for substrates, tooling, CAD design, and finishing.”

Companies like Edale, he adds, have played a crucial role in bridging that gap. “Edale is the bridge between tradition and transformation. They understand both sides of the market. The precision and speed of narrow-web flexo and the robustness and format demands of folding cartons.”

Building systems, not just presses

Technology remains central, but Parker is quick to stress that success depends on more than hardware. “Converters need a system, not a press,” he says. “Success today depends on data integration, automated quality control, color consistency and waste reduction. All the things that turn good print into a profitable business model.”

He argues that the most successful converters are those who take a holistic view of production. Parker states that “a combination of workflow automation, ERP connectivity, advanced decoration, and inline finishing is what enables the ‘labels model’ to translate into the cartons market. Customers no longer pay for processes. They seek speed, agility and sustainability.” That shift is already visible in the rise of modular, data-driven press systems, platforms that grow with a converter’s business rather than locking them into a static configuration. “The converters winning today treat the press as the center of a connected ecosystem, not a standalone investment,” Parker notes.

Flexo’s evolution

If there’s one theme Parker is eager to champion, it’s that modern flexo is not what it used to be. “Modern flexo is unrecognizable from even a decade ago,” he states. “High-definition plate imaging, servo-driven registration, closed-loop color control, and automated impression setting have eliminated the variability that once separated flexo from offset.”

With that progress, flexo has entered a new competitive space. “When combined with inline diecutting and creasing, flexo delivers stable, repeatable, single-pass carton production that rivals litho for quality, all while outperforming it for efficiency and sustainability,” he explains.

Offset, he acknowledges, “remains strong for long runs,” but for mid-length, SKU-diverse, fast-turn work, “flexo is the more predictable, repeatable and scalable process.” It’s this sweet spot, between efficiency and creative freedom, where presses like Edale’s CartonLine FL6p have found momentum among converters moving into fiber-based formats.

Markets served

Parker points to several segments already embracing inline flexo. “Food-to-go, ready-meal sleeves, nutraceuticals and beauty packaging are all accelerating,” he says. “Brands are replacing plastics with board, and SKU proliferation means they need short runs with premium print and finishing.”

He adds that pharmaceutical and healthcare applications are also gaining momentum. “We’re seeing strong movement in clinical trial and pharma packaging, where traceability and inline data management, barcodes, RFID and serialization, give flexo an advantage.”

In all these segments, speed, sustainability, and personalization are converging to redefine value creation. “Any segment that values speed, sustainability, and versioning flexibility will lean toward modern inline carton production,” he concludes.

Sustainability and the new definition of value

No conversation about packaging today avoids sustainability and, for Parker, the topic goes far beyond material substitution. “Sustainability isn’t just about materials any longer. It’s about process efficiency and energy, CO2, and water footprint,” he explains. “Flexo’s single-pass nature means fewer substrates handled, fewer make-readies, less waste, and dramatically lower energy consumption versus multi-step offset workflows.”

He believes the combination of fiber-first packaging formats, aqueous coatings, and water-based inks is where real progress is happening. “Flexo is delivering the circular economy in real time,” he says. “The converters that can show measurable reductions in carbon intensity per pack will be the ones retailers and brands choose going forward.”

2026 and beyond

Looking ahead, Parker sees the next major evolution in flexo and carton converting coming from smart automation. “We’ll see the fusion of AI and automation, predictive maintenance, self-calibrating color and data-driven job management,” he predicts. “Connected production lines will talk to ERP systems, logistics hubs, even brand owners’ inventory platforms.”

This level of connectivity, he suggests, will make carton production not just faster but smarter, adaptive, and sustainable by design. Hybrid architectures blending flexo, inkjet, and inline converting are already emerging, and events like Labelexpo/LOUPE have offered a glimpse of that integrated future.

Despite the rapid pace of change, Parker’s optimism for the industry remains grounded in something simple – the material. “What excites me most is the rediscovery of fiber,” he says. “It’s tactile, renewable and infinitely adaptable.”

For the first time, he notes, flexo gives converters the tools to unlock fiber’s full potential with efficiency, precision and creativity. “We’re watching the rise of a truly fiber-first economy, where sustainable packaging doesn’t mean compromise as much as it means competitive advantage. The energy, innovation, and collaboration I see between OEMs, converters and brands suggest that we’re not just improving print. We’re redefining what packaging can be.”

The carton sector stands on the edge of a new chapter. One defined by speed, precision, and purpose. Flexo’s transformation has given converters the tools to meet demand for sustainable, high-impact packaging without compromise. Through collaboration between OEMs, converters and brands, that progress is accelerating.