While the exact results vary by case and customer, our focus on offering fact-based information and insights has empowered many customers to make impactful decisions on their packaging.
Decisive factors: Energy type and packaging weight
We often start a project with a workshop with our customers to discuss and consider their specific needs. It’s also an excellent opportunity to review with them the key factors that influence the carbon emissions of a packaging solution. Here, the selection of materials or considering different paperboards and their impacts is critical, with two main factors standing out.
First, the type of energy used to produce the material. If the energy used is renewable and fossil free, a material’s climate impact will be lower than if fossil-based energy is used. Second, optimising the use of materials while paying special consideration to the packaging’s weight – without compromising on the technical properties!
For example, switching from recycled fibre-based paperboard to Metsä Board’s fresh fibre paperboard can result in considerable weight reductions. A package made of lighter material providing the optimised strength and protection for the packed goods will be lighter to transport throughout the entire supply chain and produce less waste once used.
You cannot manage what is not measured
Our sustainability service team cooperates with all Metsä Board service teams, such as our packaging design and supply chain teams. Once a new solution has been designed by our packaging design team or by the customer themselves, our sustainability service team can produce lifecycle assessment comparisons and analyses on the different environmental impacts defined by the customer. Today, however, the most commonly asked impact to measure is the total climate impact of a previous packaging solution as well as the new designs being considered.
Assessing the climate impact of packaging considers several factors, such as the material's manufacturing, the packaging's production, transport emissions, and how the packaging is disposed of at the end of its lifecycle. Customers can then compare the different options and determine the optimal material choice and design for their specific need.
Our customers are often surprised when we show them the actual numbers. In the projects we work on, achieving a 10% to 30% reduction in weight for a packaging solution is quite common, depending on the material and design choices. That can often translate into a considerable reduction in fossil carbon emissions for their packaging solution. A perfect reminder that when you have the correct data, sometimes small changes can have a real and impactful change.
In case you would like to hear more about our climate impact assessments please contact sustainability.metsaboard@metsagroup.com
DID YOU KNOW?
Metsä Board paperboards are made of fully traceable Northern European fresh wood fibres. In 2023, 91% of the wood used in our paperboards originated from certified forest sources, and the remaining 9% was sourced from controlled forest origins. External audits prove that the forests are managed according to sustainable forest management principles. In addition, all non-certified wood must be of sustainable origin and meet PEFC and FSC® controlled wood standard requirements.
90% Metsä Board’s mills produce paperboards using 90% fossil free energy. The target is to use 100% fossil free energy by the end of 2030.