Metsä Board opens AI-powered packaging design studio in Milan

Metsä Board is set to open a new Packaging Design Studio in Milan, Italy, in mid-2026, aiming to strengthen collaboration with European brands, converters, and packaging developers. 

The studio will be equipped with tools and AI support technology to aid workshops and co-creation in projects where sustainability targets, performance requirements, or regulatory changes “drive the need for new solutions.” 

“The Milan studio strengthens our collaboration in Europe by putting our design expertise physically closer to many of the brand owners and converters we work with every day,” Ilkka Harju, director for Packaging Design Services at Metsä Board, tells Packaging Insights.

“Finland and the US remain important parts of our global network, but Milan gives us something new: fast, local access to one of Europe’s most active design and brand ecosystems.”

He adds that the packaging studio in Milan enables the team to work side‑by‑side with customers more frequently, iterate concepts faster, and involve their marketing, design, and technical teams in the early phases of development. 

“It also connects us more closely to the region’s packaging innovation community, which supports inspiration and early‑stage insight work.”

Harju explains that the Milan studio will complement, not replace, Metsä Board’s existing Excellence Centre in Äänekoski, Finland, and the Packaging Design Studio in Norwalk, US.

Building on US success

The Milan studio will enable the team to work side‑by‑side with customers more frequently, says Harju.Harju notes that the Packaging Design Studio in the US strengthened Metsä Board’s support for North American brands by enabling faster collaboration, more efficient design-to-production cycles, and closer alignment with customers’ sustainability and performance targets.

“The feedback from existing and new customers has been very positive, and the studio has played an important role in accelerating several customer development projects,” he adds.

“This positive experience from our US Packaging Design Studio and our Excellence Centre in Äänekoski, Finland, has been a key factor in our decision to expand the concept to Milan.”

The Milan studio is part of Metsä Board’s broader strategy to be closer to its customers in key markets. Harju explains that strong customer engagement in the US validated the value of having local design capabilities. 

Regulation-ready with AI 

The studio in Milan will be equipped with high-grade AI tools and technology to inform packaging design and creation. 

Harju says: “AI strengthens our design work by helping us reach sustainable and compliant solutions faster and with more confidence. With AI‑based simulations, we can evaluate barrier performance, recyclability, and downgauging potential early in the process, which reduces material waste and shortens development cycles.”

Moreover, AI can support regulatory alignment, says Harju. It can help experts structure and screen packaging requirements, but “final interpretations and decisions are always made by Metsä Board specialists.”

“All AI work in our studios is guided by Metsä Group’s responsible‑use principles, meaning we work only with approved tools, follow the AI governance process, and ensure that data security and legal compliance are built into every step.”

Harju concludes that AI can help design sustainable, circular, and regulation‑ready packaging while maintaining the high safety and responsibility standards that Metsä Board is known for.

Recently, Metsä Board published an independently verified LCA comparing its PE-coated paperboard tray to conventional PP takeaway food trays. It revealed that the MetsäBoard Pro FSB Cup tray has a lower carbon footprint than a fossil-based PP tray.

At FachPack 2025, Metsä Board showcased 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 was the adoption of curtain coating technology, which provides a “smoother print surface and sharper visual details.”