Metsä Board launches initiative to optimize packaging design

Metsä Board has launched Inboxing, an initiative created with Kathryn Kellogg, founder of Going Zero Waste, to explore the early choices in packaging design, from product protection and consumer experience to cost and environmental impact. 

Erja Hyrsky, senior VP, Commercial Operations at Metsä Board, says: “The best packaging solutions balance multiple objectives and are rarely a result of a single decision. The starting point should be what the packaging needs to achieve across its lifecycle and the evidence behind each decision.” 

“With Inboxing, we want to bring brands, designers, packaging experts, and sustainability specialists into the conversation early enough to challenge assumptions, compare options, and shape better packaging solutions.” 

Using evidence for balancing 

Metsä Board says brands are reducing packaging’s environmental impact while maintaining safety, performance, and consumer expectations. This requires looking beyond single attributes to understand the packaging system as a whole. 

“Inboxing examines packaging choices from multiple perspectives, recognizing that the right solution depends on the product, the value chain, and the available evidence, not on a predetermined preference for one material,” shares the company. 

Kathryn Kellogg is an author and sustainability creator who aims to bridge the gap between packaging experts, brands, and consumers. For this initiative, she is focusing on making the choices and trade-offs visible before a package reaches the market. 

“Consumers see the finished package, but the real story lies in the decisions behind it. Understanding those decisions helps us have a more informed conversation about sustainable packaging,” says Kellogg. 

Recently, Metsä Board opened a packaging design studio in Milan, Italy, addressing the need for fast, regulatory-compliant, and recyclable packaging solutions. 

Meanwhile, the company partnered with Heidelberg Druckmaschinen to develop packaging solutions that improve operational performance and consumer experience. 

Earlier this year, Metsä Board launched MetsäBoard Pro FBB Go, a folding boxboard developed for demanding food and pharmaceutical packaging, together with a fast and predictable custom-cut sheet delivery solution for the European market.