Exclusive! Esa Kaikkonen, Metsä Board: “Reduce your carbon footprint with our cardboard!”

“For Esa Kaikkonen, CEO of Finnish cardboard company Metsä Board (€1.9 billion in revenue in 2024, 2,300 employees, and more than 90,000 forest owners), the message is clear: "Our recent life cycle analysis case study, verified by an independent body, shows that using our fresh fiber-based cardboard can reduce the carbon footprint of perfume packaging by more than 50% [1]! Many brands have made ambitious environmental commitments, and we can help them compare the climate impact of different packaging materials. It should be noted that this month, the company completed a €60 million upgrade of its Simpele mill as part of the launch of its improved MetsäBoard Classic FBB cardboard range. Regarding the tariffs imposed by the United States: “We are the largest importer of folding boxboard and white coated kraft paper into the United States,” he emphasizes, "and there are no equivalent products manufactured locally. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the US market, our goal is to maintain our current position in this market and continue our close collaboration with our existing customers. We continue to support them by offering packaging solutions that offer weight reduction opportunities compared to conventional cardboard. This is important both from a sustainability perspective and in terms of material savings." Explanations...

The beauty and personal care sector is obviously an important segment for Metsä Board, particularly for the production of folding boxboard (FBB). “Our fresh fiber-based cartons,” explains Esa Kaikkonen, "are used worldwide by many beauty brands because of their light weight, visual appeal, and excellent sustainability ratings in the CDP and Ecovadis rankings. We have also developed a particularly innovative, recyclable, and compostable barrier paperboard that offers an attractive alternative to plastic packaging for the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. "In addition, the company says it works closely with its customers to design packaging that reduces the use of raw materials and improves recyclability, notably through its Center of Excellence in Äänekoski, which includes an R&D laboratory and a packaging design studio. A true platform, it optimizes packaging development by taking into account its entire life cycle, material efficiency, level of protection, carbon footprint, recyclability, regulatory compliance, and, of course, costs.

One of the latest examples is a calendar produced for the 2024 Christmas season. Its structure was designed by Metsä Board’s packaging design team and its manufacture was entrusted to converter VG Kvadra Pak, a subsidiary of the Belgian group Van Genechten Packaging. “The calendar,” explains Esa Kaikkonen, "is made from MetsäBoard Prime FBB Bright and MetsäBoard Pro FBB Bright cardboard, which are made from renewable and easily recyclable wood fibers. The surface and gloss of this board allow the desired winter landscape to be perfectly reproduced on the calendar and protective sleeve."

The advantages of microflute

Another example is the promotional packaging for HejBuddy, a Finnish cosmetics brand, made from microflute corrugated board with a white kraft liner from Metsä Board. It is important to note that rigid boxes are traditionally imported from Asia as assembled packaging, which takes up a lot of space during transport. However, the new lightweight packaging we have developed requires minimal storage space and, once used, unfolds and recycles easily. The packaging also includes a customizable pocket to meet different brand needs, offering a versatile and economical solution for brand managers. In addition, micro-flute boxes offer greater flexibility, as local production can be carried out in smaller quantities.

Zero fossil fuels by 2030!

"I would like to point out that, according to our third-party verified life cycle analysis case study, switching from solid white board (SBB) to our folding carton board can reduce the carbon footprint of a perfume carton by more than 50%**. In general, the fibers we use to make our cartons are a safe, renewable, and recyclable resource. Our goal is to have completely fossil fuel-free factories by 2030!"

The Simpele factory: a $60 million investment

The investment involved completely rebuilding the coating section, expanding the coating room, and installing a new pallet packaging line. More than 430 people worked on the project. “Previously,” explains Esa Kaikkonen, "89% of the energy used for production at this factory was fossil fuel-free. "Thanks to the new technology in place, this figure is expected to reach 98% by the end of 2025, reinforcing our commitment to achieving fossil-free mills by 2030.

In addition, the introduction of new, modern curtain coating technology improves print quality and visual uniformity, resulting in sharper and more vibrant results.
This modernization marks an important milestone for the mill. Its MetsäBoard Classic FBB cardboard machine is now fully operational.

For Esa Kaikkonen, "there is no doubt that this investment represents a strategic advantage for our customers, the brands, who are facing increasing packaging requirements and stricter regulations. They are under increasing pressure to meet stricter sustainability and safety standards, while controlling costs and reducing waste. We want to help them stay ahead of the curve by offering safe and reliable solutions that deliver excellent efficiency and material quality, as well as a premium printing surface to enhance the brand. "