Exclusive: Metsa Board focuses on yield benefits; value chain

During Interpack 2026 in Duesseldorf, the conversation around fibre-based packaging has shifted from idealistic goals to practical execution. The implementation of the PPWR has brought topics like packaging minimisation and recyclability to the forefront of converter and brand owner strategies.
 
“The regulation is creating a lot of questions, specifically regarding the upcoming recyclability classes that will define the EPR fees,” says Kaisa Munukka, sustainability manager, Metsa Board. “While our fibre boards are inherently recyclable, we are continuously working to reduce the polymer content in our PE-coated grades while maintaining the necessary barrier integrity to ensure they achieve top placement within those regulatory tiers,” she adds.

Co-engineering with machinery leaders and barrier coating specialists

Regarding the technical challenge of achieving complex grease and moisture barriers without relying on heavy plastic layers, Metsa Board is expanding its reach through specialised partnerships. 

Rather than developing every coating variant in-house alongside its standard dispersion-coated products, the company is engaging downstream coating specialists to broaden its high-barrier portfolio for food-grade and medical applications.

As part of its co-engineering approach, Metsa Board collaborates with technology partners combining its material expertise with advanced printing and converting technologies to improve packaging production efficiency. On the eve of Interpack, Metsa Board announced a collaboration with Heidelberg. 

“The strategic collaboration with Heidelberg brings together our paperboard materials expertise and Heidelberg’s printing and converting technologies to improve operational performance and support changing customer requirements across the packaging value chain”, says Arja Vanhanen, marketing director, Metsa Board.

Collaborative demonstrations and testing will take place at Heidelberg’s Print Media Centres, as well as at Metsa Board’s Excellence Centre in Finland and the Milan (Italy) Design Studio which will be opened in Summer 2026.

“This dual-track exchange of technical data helps ensure that the mechanical properties of our paperboards match the operational demands of the shop floor”, Vanhanen tells. Another respective technology partner for Metsa Board is Bobst.

The yield advantage in the Indian market

While Metsa Board has operated quietly in India for more than two decades, the company is accelerating its footprint in the southern and western regions to address a growing domestic demand for premium, sustainable packaging. Saurav Sengupta, account director at Metsa Board, emphasises that competing with lower-cost regional fibre options requires shifting the conversation from base weight to mechanical performance.
 
“In the Indian market, we are demonstrating that the specific weight of the board is secondary to its mechanical output. Because we utilise slow-growing Nordic fibres from Finnish forests, our substrate offers yield benefit compared to Asian alternatives,” Sengupta notes. He says Metsa can achieve the same structural rigidity and compression strength at a lower weight, allowing brands to reduce material consumption at the source.
 
He highlights that the company's dedicated production lines allow for strict engineering tolerances, maintaining a plus-minus 2% variance on weight profiles across production runs. This consistency is paired with the company's service portfolio, which provides brand owners with integrated support across packaging design, technical trials, and supply chain logistics.
 
Additionally, Metsa Board is working closely with Srinivas Papers, Mumbai to be nimble and fast to market by creating well planned local inventory carriage in India. Sengupta says, "The two companies are well in sync and cooperate regularly to expand the supply canvas to quality-oriented printing and packaging companies here."
 
Regenerative forestry and long-term adaptation

The foundational structure of Metsa Board provides it with a unique advantage in raw material traceability. The company is part of the Metsa Group, which is collectively owned by more than 90,000 private Finnish forest owners.

“In Finland, where forests cover 75% of the land, strict legislation has mandated replanting for over a century,” says Munukka. However, she says, “Our modern focus has advanced to a verifiable regenerative forestry strategy. We implement harvesting measures that actively enhance forest biodiversity, which is critical to ensuring the ecosystem can adapt to the long-term impacts of climate change.”

Addressing recent industry reports regarding the slow pace of replacing flexible plastics with paper alternatives, the team notes that functional barriers must become mainstream rather than niche for wide-scale adoption to occur. The company concludes that transitioning the global packaging value chain requires long-term collaboration between raw material suppliers, chemical processors, and equipment OEMs rather than relying on material substitution.