Metsä Board Magazine – Spring 2024

16

Sustainable solutions

Cutting the carbon footprint of pharma packaging With smart packaging choices, pharma companies can reduce the carbon footprint of their value chain. Metsä Board supports the pharmaceutical industry with lightweight paperboard products and fact-based data about the environmental impact of packaging materials.

Charlie Bass, photos: Metsä Board

S cope 3 emissions, which include indirect emissions in the upstream and down- stream activities of an organisation, are a hot topic in the pharma industry as companies continue to look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. With the right material choices and reliable accurate data, the carbon footprint of pharma- ceutical packaging can be significantly reduced. Metsä Board can provide both expert support and lightweight paperboard products to support pharma companies in their carbon footprint reduction efforts. Fulfilling demanding packaging requirements Paperboard for pharma packaging needs to retain its specified thickness, mechanical strength and water absorption properties, regardless of the conditions it faces, and it must not affect the primary packaging in any way. Any changes in dimensions could cause curling or bulging, which could pose a risk to the integrity of the packaging and therefore the safety of the product inside. To ensure the excellent performance of the packaging, its materials or the whole pack- aging solution can be tested. At its Excellence Centre in Äänekoski, Central Finland, Metsä Board can test the per- formance of paperboard and pharmaceutical packaging samples across a wide temper- ature and humidity range. This is how the packaging can be improved. Carbon reduction with expertise and materials Trustworthy fact-based data and accurate transparent calculations of the overall im- pact of different materials help pharma brand owners make better-informed decisions. Metsä Board can provide pharma brand owners with this information through its Sus- tainability Service, which is part of the Metsä Board 360 Services offering.

Learn more about our 360 Services: metsaboard.com

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