For decades, the beverage multipack meant plastic: shrink film around a case, or those familiar plastic rings around a six-pack. That is changing fast. Major bottlers have already replaced plastic shrink and rings on can multipacks with fiber-based paperboard carriers, and regulation is now pushing the rest of the market in the same direction. For any beverage brand, the question is no longer whether the plastic multipack has a future. It is how quickly you move, and whether your secondary packaging is ready.
This guide explains what is driving the shift, why it is accelerating in 2026, and what a beverage brand should know about moving its multipacks from plastic to fiber, without slowing down the line or losing shelf presence.
The Shift Is Already Happening
This is not a future trend; it is an established one that is scaling. Beginning in 2019, a major European bottler started replacing plastic shrink film on can multipacks with a minimalist recyclable paperboard carrier, backed by a 15 million euro investment, a move it said would remove roughly 2,000 metric tons of plastic per year. The same fiber-based approach reached the United States in 2022 through a regional bottler. Industry-wide, these paperboard multipack systems have been used on hundreds of millions of packs and have eliminated millions of pounds of plastic.
The direction is clear: shrink film and plastic rings are being designed out of the beverage multipack, replaced by paperboard toppers, clips, and fully enclosed cartons made from renewable, recyclable fiber. What began with the largest bottlers is now the reference point the rest of the category is measured against.
Why It Is Accelerating in 2026
Three forces are turning a sustainability initiative into a business requirement, and all three are sharper in 2026 than they have ever been.
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). As of mid-2026, seven states, California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington, have enacted packaging EPR laws that make producers pay fees based on the packaging they put into the market. Crucially, several use eco-modulation: hard-to-recycle materials like plastic shrink film cost more, and recyclable fiber-based designs cost less. EPR turns the plastic multipack into a line-item expense. (The state-by-state regulatory map is moving quickly on packaging materials generally.)
- Recyclability and labeling rules. California’s SB 343 restricts the familiar chasing-arrows recycling symbol to packaging that genuinely meets recyclability criteria, with a key enforcement date arriving in October 2026. Plastic shrink film, which is difficult to recycle, is exactly the kind of material these rules target. As we covered in substantiated sustainability, a recyclability claim now has to be provable.
- Retailer and consumer pressure. Major retailers increasingly require EPR registration as a condition of stocking a product, and surveys show a large majority of younger online shoppers weigh sustainability in their brand choices. The plastic multipack is becoming a retail and reputational liability, not just an environmental one.
Under eco-modulated EPR, every pound of hard-to-recycle plastic shrink film a brand puts into a regulated state carries a fee, and those fees are designed to rise over time. Recyclable fiber-based secondary packaging is treated more favorably. For a brand shipping millions of multipacks, the difference between a plastic carrier and a fiber one is no longer just an environmental position. It is a recurring cost that EPR makes visible on the books.
What Changes When You Move to Fiber
Switching a multipack from plastic to paperboard is not a like-for-like swap. It touches the material, the line, and the shelf, and getting it right means treating all three together:
- The material has to do the plastic’s job. A fiber carrier still has to hold the cans or bottles securely, survive distribution, and carry the weight without failing. That means engineered paperboard designed for the specific container, count, and weight, not generic board.
- It has to fit how the pack is assembled. A paperboard format has to work with how the multipack is actually put together and packed out, at the volumes the business runs. A design that looks right but slows the pack-out is not a workable answer.
- It is a branding surface. Unlike clear shrink film, a paperboard carrier is a printable billboard. Done well, the move to fiber is a shelf-presence upgrade, more branding real estate and a premium, sustainable look, not just a compliance cost.
- It still has to protect the product. The secondary packaging has to keep the multipack intact through distribution and, increasingly, through e-commerce shipping. Fiber that looks good but crushes in transit solves one problem and creates another.
The Trap: Swapping Material Without Rethinking the System
The most common mistake is treating this as a purchasing swap, buy paperboard instead of film, and move on. Beverage multipacks are heavy and unforgiving, and a fiber carrier that was not engineered for the specific pack will fail in ways plastic did not: crushed corners, torn carriers, packs that collapse under their own stacked weight in a warehouse or a delivery van.
The brands that move cleanly treat the switch as a packaging-engineering problem. They match the board grade and structure to the container and count, validate it against real distribution and stacking conditions, and confirm it runs on the line, before it ships. That is the difference between a sustainability win and a wave of damage claims.
How Korpack Solves This
Korpack is a packaging-engineering company first, and the move from plastic to recyclable paperboard secondary packaging is exactly the kind of materials problem it is built for.
Korpack supplies the paperboard and corrugated secondary packaging that fits this shift: folding cartons, printed corrugated, and fully enclosed carton formats that can carry a multipack without plastic shrink. Accredited packaging engineers design the structure to the specific container, count, and weight, so it holds up through distribution and stacking, not just on day one.
Korpack does not just supply the material; it runs the co-packing. Club, variety, and combo pack-outs, tray and case packing, and Point-of-Purchase display builds mean a brand can move to a paperboard format and have it packed out for retail, not just sourced. Material and pack-out are handled under one roof.
Because Korpack engineers to the material, it can steer a brand toward recyclable, fiber-based designs that sit on the favorable side of EPR eco-modulation and recyclability rules, and away from the hard-to-recycle formats those rules penalize. The right material choice is both a sustainability and a cost decision.
The single-source advantage ties it together: one partner designs the paperboard packaging, supplies the material, and runs the pack-out in co-packing, so a brand is not coordinating a board supplier, a design firm, and a separate packer while trying to hit an EPR deadline.
The plastic multipack had a long run. The brands that plan the move to fiber now will do it on their terms, not a regulator’s deadline.
Korpack designs the recyclable paperboard and corrugated secondary packaging that moves your multipack off plastic shrink, and runs the retail pack-out in co-packing, so it is compliant, sturdy, and shelf-ready. Let’s talk about your formats and volumes.
855.567.7225 | korpack.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are beverage brands replacing plastic shrink film and rings on multipacks?
A combination of regulation, retailer requirements, and consumer preference. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws in a growing number of states make hard-to-recycle plastics more expensive through eco-modulated fees, recyclability-labeling rules target films that are difficult to recycle, and retailers and shoppers increasingly favor recyclable, fiber-based packaging. Major bottlers began the shift years ago, and it is now accelerating across the category.
Is fiber-based multipack packaging strong enough to replace plastic?
Yes, when it is engineered for the specific pack. Paperboard and corrugated multipack formats are already used at scale on hundreds of millions of beverage packs. The key is matching the board grade and structure to the container, count, and weight, and validating it against real distribution and stacking conditions. Generic board used as a drop-in for film is where failures happen.
How does EPR affect my multipack packaging choice?
Many state EPR programs use eco-modulation, meaning producers pay higher fees for hard-to-recycle materials like plastic shrink film and lower fees for recyclable, fiber-based designs. As of mid-2026, seven states have enacted packaging EPR laws. For a brand shipping large volumes, moving from plastic to recyclable fiber can reduce EPR fee exposure while improving sustainability and shelf appeal.
Will switching to a paperboard multipack hurt my shelf presence?
It usually helps. Unlike clear shrink film, a paperboard carrier is a printable surface, more branding real estate and a premium, sustainable look. Handled as a design opportunity rather than just a compliance swap, the move to fiber can strengthen shelf presence while meeting sustainability goals.
- Bottler and packaging-supplier announcements and beverage trade coverage (Packaging World, Packaging Europe, beverage industry press, 2019-2024). Source for the replacement of plastic shrink film and rings on can multipacks with fiber-based paperboard carriers, the 15 million euro European investment and roughly 2,000 metric tons of plastic removed per year, the 2022 US introduction via a regional bottler, and the hundreds of millions of packs and millions of pounds of plastic eliminated industry-wide. Specific figures are company-reported.
- US packaging EPR and labeling analyses (O’Melveny, Pregis, EcoPackables, Earth911, Packaging Dive, 2026). Source for seven states having enacted packaging EPR laws (California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington), eco-modulation rewarding recyclable and penalizing hard-to-recycle designs, California SB 343 chasing-arrows enforcement approaching in October 2026, retailers requiring EPR registration, and the EU PPWR ban on multipack plastic rings. Legal challenges (including the Oregon preliminary injunction for certain members) remain ongoing; confirm current status.
- eCommerce and consumer packaging research (NielsenIQ 2025 via Atomix Logistics, 2026). Source for the majority of younger online shoppers factoring sustainability into brand preference.
- Korpack Marketing Guidelines and Value Propositions, November 2023. Source for Korpack’s corrugated and paperboard packaging, folding cartons, printed corrugated, club/variety/combo pack-outs, tray and case packing, POP display builds, packaging engineering, recyclable materials, and single-source co-packing model.
Korpack is a technologically advanced packaging materials, contract packaging, and automation supplier that approaches solutions with an engineering mindset and creative flexibility. Founded by a packaging engineer, Korpack serves growth-oriented food and beverage brands across North America from its Chicagoland headquarters. Regulatory details are current as of mid-2026 and subject to change; confirm requirements for your states.
