FachPack 2025 live: Metsä Board highlights renewed folding boxboard

Metsä Board is showcasing its latest development in folding boxboard (FBB) at FachPack 2025 in Nuremberg, Germany (September 23–25). The company has introduced the renewed Metsä Board Classic FBB under the campaign title, Lead the Pack, to improve its performance and sustainability.

At the heart of the renewal is the adoption of curtain coating technology, which provides a “smoother print surface and sharper visual details.” This technology allows for consistent print results in demanding packaging applications.

Arja Vanhanen, marketing communications manager at Metsä Board, tells Packaging Insights: “Metsä Board paperboards have high stiffness and they are light in weight. Together with high share of fossil-free energy in production the light weight of the packaging can have a notable impact on the packaging’s carbon footprint.”

This month, Metsä Board has begun the installation phase of a major board machine modernization at its Simpele mill in Finland, which uses 89% fossil-free energy. Vanhanen shares that “one specific line is located there, and it manufactures the MetsäBoard Classic FBB.” After the investment, the share of fossil-free energy of Simpele mill’s production is estimated to be as high as 98%.

The FBB aims to create a sustainable solution in the food and healthcare sector, where efficiency, reliability, and consistency are required.Regulatory compliance

MetsäBoard Classic FBB is designed for the food and healthcare segments and has been approved for direct food contact.

“The problem with recycled fibers is that you don’t always know the origin of where they come from, so there might be residual substances. MetsäBoard Classic FBB can be used for sensitive applications thanks to fresh fibers,” says Vanhanen.

She says that the renewed product can help brands meet their sustainability targets and regulatory requirements, such as the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.

“Recycling systems vary from country to country. Nordic countries, such as Finland, have very good systems in place where fiber-based or paperboard packaging can be recycled very efficiently. It can be possible there no matter what the coating actually is on top of it.”

“But it’s not the same in every countries. Thus, it is always good when you can reduce the amount of plastic in packaging and get rid of these fossil-based materials,” Vanhanen concludes.

With live reporting from Natalie Schwertheim at FachPack 2025