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Resource efficiency
Metsä Board’s Packaging Design Service
Packaging matters for a sustainable future Packaging is a vital component of our society that protects products, enabling safe transportation and handling while minimizing product damage and waste. The packaging of the future must fulfill its primary objectives – and have minimal environmental impact.
Marja Berisa & Silja Eisto, photo: Hanne Manelius
T his is how Packaging Services Director Mark Beamesderfer , Metsä Board Americas, summarizes the importance of packaging. “The key role of packaging is to protect the product, keep it fresh, and prevent waste. Failing in that is the least sustaina- ble option,” he says. Yet we can – and must – do more. The need for more resource-efficient packaging is constantly growing. “We need to utilize our resources more efficiently for the safety and health of our planet,” Beamesderfer says. Sustainable packaging means responsible use of renewable raw materials and efficiency in production. We also need to continue the lightweighting of packaging materials. “Lightweighting is a result of our modern board-making process and special pulp recipes,” Beamesderfer says, con- tinuing: “Metsä Board’s engineered folding boxboards (FBB) utilize a three-layer structure that creates a light but stiff sheet. Light-
er-weight FBB can be used to substitute higher-weight tradi- tional and recycled paperboards while maintaining or even improving the overall structural integrity of the package.” For customers, lightweighting means notable sustainabili- ty and yield benefits: Fewer natural resources are used, and the carbon footprint of the packaging gets smaller. Also, less transportation and fuels are needed and there is less waste. Beamesderfer finds that recyclability and fit-for-purpose thinking need to be at the heart of the design process. More efficient structural design results in less material used. It’s about reducing the size of the package. Proper imposition, nest- ing, and minimizing the overall size of the sheet also reduce manufacturing waste. “Our Excellence Centre offers an effective development platform for packaging. The Centre’s packaging design stu- dio and a computer-based simulation tool (CAE) enable us to analyze and model the packaging performance and optimize material weight and structures.” •
5 KEYS TO WINNING WITH SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING
1. Use raw materials produced from sustainably managed forests, and when reusing fiber materials, find out where they were sourced. Avoid plastics whenever possible.
5. Get involved in certification programs, and when taking new steps toward sustainability, let your customers know.
2. Find out how the paperboards are manufactured at mills. Favor fossil-fuel-free operators.
3. Find solutions that use fewer packaging materials. Choose lightweight paperboards and favor designs without plastic windows.
4. Ask questions – manufacturers must be able to give specific details about their sustainability status.
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