North American End Markets for Cartons See Progress in 2025

2025 saw two positive developments of note for carton end markets in North America, thanks to ReCB LLC, a new company which turns post-consumer gable top and aseptic food and beverage cartons into a high-performance building material called Everboard^TM.

Produced through a proprietary process involving heat and pressure only, Everboard^TM is primarily used currently as a lower carbon, more sustainably produced alternative to traditional roof cover boards, but it can also serve other applications where moisture and mould resistance are needed.

ReCB LLC turns post-consumer cartons into a high-performance building material called Everboard^TM. Photos: Carton Council.

Factories in Iowa and California

In September, ReCB LLC opened a factory on the site of a similar facility in Des Moines, Iowa which had ceased operations the year before. Since taking over, ReCB LLC has been investing in new equipment to boost efficiency and capacity. The installed processing capacity currently stands at 9,070 metric tonnes (10,000 short tons) of cartons per year, representing a yield of approximately 10 million square feet of Everboard^TM. Although it is still in the process of being upgraded, the Des Moines plant recently surpassed the milestone of 1 million square feet of Everboard^TM produced.

Video showing the process of turning cartons into Everboard^TM at the ReCB LLC plant in Des Moines, Iowa. Video: Carton Council.

At the time of writing, a second ReCB LLC factory, first announced at the beginning of the year, is poised to open in the city of Lodi, California, about 160 kilometres east of San Francisco. This one has an annual processing capacity of 8,165 metric tonnes of cartons (9,000 short tons). With production lines now fully functional with the latest equipment, the plant is just awaiting the authorities’ final green light before production can begin.

The ReCB LLC factory in Lodi, California is all set to begin production. Photo: ReCB LLC.

With these two facilities now on solid ground, ReCB LLC has begun actively exploring opportunities to expand into other parts of the United States.

Suppliers and Customers

When sourcing cartons for its boards, ReCB LLC aims to purchase bales of the best quality at the best price. In doing so, it will first turn to local suppliers, typically material recovery facilities (MRFs) located within a radius of roughly 800 kilometres (500 miles) around each factory. When materials can’t be found locally, buyers will look further afield. This can include Canada, which ReCB LLC regards as a producer of high quality carton bales thanks to many provinces’ long experience in collecting and sorting food and beverage cartons.

As for customers for its product, ReCB LLC currently focuses on roofing projects in the United States. Given that Everboard^TM is rated to withstand hail and snow, the company sees strong potential for adoption in Canada as well.