Takeaways

• Graphic Packaging International has released its 2025 sustainability report, the same day its first Chief Sustainability Officer, Michelle Fitzpatrick, announced her departure.
• The company reported mixed sustainability results, with progress in some areas such as Scope 3 emissions, while other climate and recyclability targets showed slower momentum.
• Despite leadership changes and restructuring, the company says sustainability will remain a key part of its long-term business strategy.

Graphic Packaging International has published its 2025 sustainability report while also announcing the departure of its first Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), Michelle Fitzpatrick. The leadership change comes at a time when the packaging company is navigating broader organizational changes alongside its long-term environmental commitments.

Fitzpatrick, who became the company's first CSO in 2021, confirmed her exit on the same day the Graphic Packaging sustainability report was released. During her nearly five years with the company, she helped shape its sustainability strategy and led efforts to align climate goals with internationally recognized standards, including the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

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A company spokesperson thanked Fitzpatrick for her leadership and contributions, adding that sustainability will continue to play an important role in Graphic Packaging International's business strategy. The company said it is reviewing how its sustainability team will be structured going forward, but did not disclose the reason for her departure or whether the CSO position will be filled.

The move reflects a wider trend across industries, where several companies have recently restructured their sustainability leadership. In some cases, organizations have removed the CSO title while continuing to manage environmental and social initiatives through other executive or operational teams.

The latest sustainability report presents a mixed picture of the company's environmental performance. Graphic Packaging International reaffirmed its long-term ambition of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, although some of its short-term indicators moved in different directions during the reporting period.

The company reported that 96% of its packaging products were recyclable in 2025, slightly lower than the 97% recorded a year earlier. Meanwhile, renewable fuel usage at its wood-based paperboard mills increased from 74% in 2024 to 76% in 2025. However, the report noted that planned capital investment reviews could delay the company's target of reaching 90% renewable fuel use beyond its original 2030 deadline.

Progress on greenhouse gas emissions was also mixed. Graphic Packaging International aims to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50.4% by 2030 compared with its 2021 baseline. By the end of 2025, the company reported a 4% reduction, compared with a 10% reduction reported at the end of 2024.

On the other hand, the company showed stronger results for Scope 3 emissions. Its target is to reduce these emissions by 30% by 2032 from 2021 levels. The latest report showed a 15% reduction in 2025, a significant improvement over the 3% reduction reported the previous year.

In the report, Fitzpatrick said the company remains committed to demonstrating that business performance and sustainability objectives can advance together.

The leadership transition comes during a period of significant change for Graphic Packaging International. Over the past several months, the company has reduced its global workforce by about 500 employees as part of a restructuring programme. It also appointed Robbert Rietbroek as its new CEO earlier this year following the departure of former CEO Mike Doss. Separately, the company and two former executives are facing a class-action lawsuit alleging they misled investors, while Doss recently took over as CEO of another packaging-related business.

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Despite these developments, Graphic Packaging International says it remains focused on advancing its sustainability agenda while adapting its organizational structure to support future environmental goals.

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Source: ESGDIVE