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“When the volumes are big, even a small modification to package design can make a big difference.” Iiro Numminen, Structural Packaging Designer, Metsä Board
Green workshop showcases sustainable packaging Metsä Board showcased its packaging expertise for pharma representatives in November 2022 at the company’s Excellence Centre in Äänekoski, Finland. A key part of the visit was the sustainability workshop which dived deep into the future of packaging design.
I iro Numminen , Structural Packaging Designer at Metsä Board, has designed an alternative paperboard packag- ing option for the Sensodyne toothpaste package. At present, Haleon is making the transition to MetsäBoard Pro FBB Bright 245 g/m 2 for material, but Numminen sug- gested that 230 g/m 2 might do the trick, as well. “With the pharma industry, the volumes are so big that even a small modification to package design can make a big difference,” he says, adding that once you fully under- stand and master your material, you’re able to use it very economically indeed. According to Numminen, big brands in various indus- tries are setting up programmes to optimise their packag- ing processes in a sustainable way. “Fibre-based solutions will increase, since renewable and recyclable packaging is very much in line with EU regula- tions, as well.”
Metsä Board utilises a hi-tech simulation tool to explore various green alternatives, looking to introduce more light- weight packaging solutions. “We can get pretty close to the characteristics of plastic with paperboard,” he says, adding that fibre-based pack- age design is “a great arena to be in” right now. Cédric Le Dévéhat from Haleon said that the workshop featured many creative designs and provided a lot of ide- as for further development. “I believe we can leverage the Metsä Board’s special ex- pertise to make our products’ secondary packaging – namely, folding boxes – more innovative.” Numminen believes that co-creation workshops are a smart tool for increasing various forms of collaboration. “Via workshops we get an important perspective into the evolution of packaging. We respond to customer need by pre- senting them with the best possible, sustainable solution.” •
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