Interview by Nishkam Batta, Founder, HonestAI by GrayCyan

This interview is part of Manufacturing AI Magazine's ongoing series featuring innovators who are transforming manufacturing through artificial intelligence and sustainability. In this conversation, Nishkam Batta speaks with Paul Tasner, Founder and CEO of PulpWorks, about starting a business at 60, building a successful sustainable packaging startup, developing sustainable alternatives to plastic packaging through moulded fibre packaging, and using package design AI and AI package design to help manufacturers innovate while preparing for evolving EPR packaging regulations.

Watch the full interview: Paul Tasner on AI package design, moulded fibre packaging, and sustainable alternatives to plastic

Reinvention Doesn't Have an Expiration Date

PulpWorks has grown into a leading sustainable packaging startup, helping brands replace plastic with premium moulded fibre pulp packaging that balances sustainability, functionality, and premium aesthetics.

Most startup stories begin in a garage or a college dorm room. Paul Tasner's began after losing his job.

After spending decades in packaging, manufacturing, and global supply chains, Tasner unexpectedly found himself unemployed at the age of 66. Instead of seeing retirement as the only option, he viewed the setback as an opportunity to finally build the company he had always wanted.

"I had always wanted to start something of my own," Tasner explains. "Losing my job gave me the courage to do what I had been thinking about for years."

That decision led to the creation of PulpWorks, a company specializing in premium molded fiber packaging designed to replace single-use plastics. Unlike traditional molded fiber used for products like egg cartons, PulpWorks focuses on high-end consumer packaging for brands looking to combine sustainability with premium design.

The business model itself reflects modern manufacturing. Instead of owning factories, the company partners with manufacturers around the world, allowing it to remain lean while serving hundreds of customers across multiple industries.

Why Sustainable Packaging Still Faces an Uphill Battle

One might assume that sustainability has become an easy selling point. According to Tasner, reality is more complicated.

Plastic has benefited from over half a century of manufacturing optimization, making it incredibly inexpensive. Even when sustainable packaging alternatives to plastic cost only fractions of a cent more, procurement teams often reject them without considering the broader business impact.

"The comparison usually becomes five cents versus six cents," Tasner says. "But that's the wrong comparison."

Instead, he argues that manufacturers should evaluate sustainability through a total business lens.

Replacing plastic packaging influences far more than packaging costs. It affects logistics, regulatory compliance, customer perception, employee engagement, corporate sustainability goals, and long-term brand value.

Companies with strong environmental missions often experience higher employee satisfaction and lower turnover, benefits that rarely appear in traditional cost analyses but create measurable business value over time.

This broader perspective is where artificial intelligence is beginning to change the conversation.

AI Is Changing How Sustainability Is Measured

Modern AI tools for packaging business can analyze operational data, logistics, material selection, and environmental impact simultaneously, helping manufacturers justify sustainable investments with measurable business outcomes.

Historically, companies lacked the data needed to quantify the full impact of sustainable packaging. Today, AI can connect operational, environmental, and financial data across an organization to build a much stronger business case.

Rather than evaluating packaging solely on unit price, organizations can model:

  • logistics costs
  • freight optimization
  • carbon impact
  • employee engagement
  • regulatory exposure
  • supply chain efficiency
  • long-term operational savings

Tasner believes AI finally allows companies to tell the complete story.

"Before, we simply didn't have the data to persuade customers. Now AI allows us to present a much more convincing business case."

Instead of asking whether sustainable packaging costs slightly more, manufacturers can ask a much more valuable question: What is the total business impact of making the switch?

AI Is Also Transforming Small Manufacturers

These technologies demonstrate how AI solutions for small manufacturers can significantly improve productivity without requiring large engineering teams or major capital investments.

Perhaps the most surprising insight from the discussion is that AI is proving especially valuable for small companies.

PulpWorks operates with only two full-time employees, relying on manufacturing partners and specialized contractors around the world.

Despite its size, the company competes with organizations many times larger.

How? WITH AI.

Previously, developing a custom packaging concept required hiring external packaging designers, often taking days or weeks before presenting ideas to customers.

Today, AI dramatically shortens that process.

"We can now generate packaging concepts ourselves in minutes. We can meet with a customer in the morning and present design ideas the very same day."

Using modern AI package design platforms and package design AI workflows, PulpWorks can rapidly develop, visualize, and refine packaging concepts before engaging manufacturing partners.

This isn't simply about faster design. It changes how quickly companies can respond to customer requests, iterate on concepts, and move projects toward production.

For small manufacturers, AI effectively expands organizational capacity without expanding headcount.

Freight Costs Aren't Always What They Seem

Global supply chains have become increasingly unpredictable due to tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and fluctuating transportation costs. Yet Tasner challenges one common assumption.

Many people believe overseas manufacturing automatically means higher freight expenses.

In practice, shipping economics can be far more nuanced.

He shares a striking example: in some situations, shipping products from eastern China to California has historically cost less than transporting similar goods across the United States from California to New York. Ocean freight, despite covering greater distances, can sometimes be more economical than domestic trucking routes.

The lesson is clear. Manufacturers should evaluate landed costs based on data rather than assumptions.

AI-powered logistics analysis increasingly makes these comparisons faster, more accurate, and easier to model.

AI Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage in Logistics

AI-powered freight analysis has become another example of practical AI solutions for small manufacturers, allowing lean companies to optimize transportation costs that once required dedicated logistics departments.

Although PulpWorks primarily designs packaging, logistics has become an increasingly important part of customer service.

Using AI and digital freight analysis, the company compares shipping options across global partners, helping customers identify the most efficient transportation routes.

Tasner even recalls managing freight arrangements for Amazon packaging projects, something he initially assumed such a logistics giant would handle internally.

Rather than focusing only on manufacturing costs, AI allows companies to optimize the entire delivery process from production to final destination.

Regulation Is Accelerating Adoption But It Isn't the Only Driver

EPR packaging regulations, including expanding EPR packaging regulations USA, are encouraging manufacturers to rethink packaging materials and end-of-life responsibility.

For companies like PulpWorks, these policies create significant momentum. However, Tasner doesn't believe regulation alone will drive adoption. His company operated successfully for more than a decade before EPR legislation gained traction.

Instead, he sees regulation and AI working together. Regulation creates urgency.

AI provides the evidence that sustainable decisions also make financial sense. Together, they reduce resistance to change.

Lean Manufacturing in the Age of AI

One of the more interesting discussions centered on operational philosophy. PulpWorks intentionally maintains a lean organizational structure.

Instead of building large facilities or expanding payroll, the company outsources manufacturing while retaining control over design, customer relationships, and strategic decision-making. This model aligns naturally with AI.

AI reduces the operational burden across each of these functions, allowing lean businesses to compete at enterprise levels.

Tasner believes this flexibility is becoming an advantage rather than a limitation.

Europe Continues to Lead Sustainability

The conversation also explored regional differences in sustainability adoption.

Tasner points to European companies, including organizations like Interface and Unilever as examples of businesses that have historically integrated sustainability into their corporate strategy.

While progress has slowed in some regions due to changing political priorities, Europe continues to demonstrate stronger long-term commitment to sustainable manufacturing practices than many North American companies.

As global regulations continue to evolve, manufacturers that proactively embrace sustainability may find themselves better positioned than those waiting for mandates.

The Future Belongs to Data-Driven Sustainability

Paul Tasner's journey is remarkable not simply because he started a business at 66. It's remarkable because it illustrates how modern manufacturing is changing.

Success is no longer determined solely by factory size or production capacity. It increasingly depends on how effectively companies use information.

Artificial intelligence allows manufacturers to evaluate trade-offs that were once nearly impossible to quantify. Sustainability is no longer just an environmental initiative.

It has become an operational strategy. Packaging is no longer just a container. It has become part of supply chain optimization.

And AI is no longer reserved for billion-dollar enterprises.

It has become an equalizer that allows lean manufacturers to compete with global organizations.

As Nishkam Batta founder of HonestAI Magazine concludes, the companies that succeed over the coming decade will be those that combine sustainability with intelligence, not treating them as separate initiatives, but as complementary drivers of long-term competitive advantage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the new EPR packaging regulations?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging regulations require manufacturers and producers to take greater responsibility for the environmental impact of packaging throughout its lifecycle. In the United States, EPR packaging regulations USA are expanding across several states to encourage recyclable, reusable, and sustainable packaging solutions.
How did Paul Tasner start a business at 60 years old?
After losing his corporate job, Paul Tasner chose entrepreneurship over retirement. By leveraging decades of experience in manufacturing and packaging, he founded PulpWorks, proving that starting a business at 60 can lead to industry innovation and long-term success.
What AI tools are used for package design?
Modern AI package design platforms use generative AI, 3D visualization, and design automation to accelerate concept development. These package design AI tools help businesses rapidly prototype packaging, evaluate materials, and optimize designs before production.
How can small manufacturers use AI to run lean operations?
Small manufacturers can adopt AI solutions for small manufacturers, including AI-powered design software, logistics optimization, predictive analytics, and workflow automation. These AI tools for packaging business allow lean teams to improve productivity, reduce costs, and compete with much larger organizations.