I’m frequently asked, “Christophe, what can we do to make our operations and packaging more sustainable?” The first thing I mention to them is that our experts working at Metsä Board’s Excellence Centre can help them design packaging that is not only lighter but also more efficient in both its structure and production. By optimising their packaging with our lightweight paperboards, we can often have a positive effect on the carbon footprint of their packaging.
Throughout my career, I’ve seen many prominent beautycare brands take the lead, consistently dedicating time and resources to improving the sustainability and efficiency of their operations. This has created a positive knock-on effect, with medium and smaller companies wanting to follow.
Helping beautycare brands cut their Scope 3 emissions
When considering the reduction of paperboard packaging emissions, a key contributor is the type of energy used in the production process. Metsä Board’s mills currently operate with 90% fossil free energy. This significantly lowers the fossil CO2 emissions associated with manufacturing our paperboards and allows us to offer packaging solutions that can make it easier for beautycare brands to meet their ambitious CO2 reduction targets.
The weight of packaging can have a direct and significant impact on reducing a packaging’s carbon footprint throughout its entire lifecycle. That means paperboards made of fresh fibre have a distinct advantage over recycled fibre boards because they enable our experts to design lighter packaging for our customers.
The traceability of raw materials is also an important topic that beautycare brands are increasingly asking me about. With recycled paperboard, it’s often impossible to know where the wood fibre originates from, which means it can be from unknown or unsustainable sources. In contrast, our fresh fibre paperboards are fully traceable. This level of transparency, and the other essential factors I mentioned, makes our paperboards ideal for beautycare brands striving to meet their sustainability goals.
What consumers expect from sustainable brands
From a consumer’s perspective, a growing desire exists for the brands they love to drive sustainable change. According to a Euromonitor International study in 2024, 54% of consumers stated they only bought from companies they completely trusted, and 46% even expressed a desire to engage directly with brands to influence product innovation, highlighting the growing importance of transparency and collaboration in driving sustainability.
However, misconceptions about fresh fibre versus recycled materials still persist. If I were to ask a consumer to choose between a package made from recycled fibres and one made from fresh fibre, they might instinctively pick the recycled option due to its perceived environmental benefits. The perspective often changes when you explain that fresh fibre paperboards are lighter, require less material, generate less waste and can be produced with a high percentage of fossil free energy. In addition, fresh fibre paperboards are recyclable, and the circular economy requires a steady supply of fresh fibre into the fibre recycling loop for recycled materials to maintain their viability.
By addressing these misconceptions and offering tangible, data-driven solutions with the help of our product-specific lifecycle assessments, we see a window of opportunity for our fresh fibre paperboards to drive meaningful change for beautycare brands. It’s a story we want to share with them—and their consumers.
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Did you know? Source: Euromonitor International |