Metsä Spring introduces wood fiber punnets for fresh produce

Metsä Spring has expanded its Muoto Uncoated Fibre Series with two types of punnets for the fresh food product segment. 

The new solutions respond to the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), enabling the switch from single-use plastics to fiber-based packaging for fresh products.

The punnets come in two different sizes to match specific product and customer needs, which will be ready for market testing starting January 2026.

“We welcome packers to join our pre-commercial sales phase, test, and co-develop the right solution for their needs. Our Muoto punnets are durable, plastic-free, fully recyclable, and meet the strict requirements of the upcoming PPWR regulation,” says Tarja Heikkilä, product manager at Muoto.

“As the new legislation will most likely come into effect in 2030, this is the prime time to start testing other solutions for packing fresh products.”

Niklas von Weymarn, CEO at Metsä Spring, adds: “We are happy to launch yet another scalable Muoto packaging solution. Our first pilots with industrial partners and customers have been very encouraging, and since last summer, we’ve already seen other Muoto products on the shelves of big retail shops, available for consumers.”

“The punnet series is a great match for the market’s need to find alternatives to the current solutions that will not match with the upcoming EU regulation that will take effect in Europe soon.”

Reducing single-use plastic 

The overall packaging unit volume for fresh products is billions of units annually, according to a market study conducted in Europe by Muoto. It also shows that strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries require billions of packaging units every year.

Metsä Spring says that by replacing the current plastic packaging with fiber-based Muoto punnets, the industry can “drastically” decrease the volume of single-use plastics used.

Muoto packaging is made from wood pulp, making it fully recyclable and biodegradable, according to the company. 

The technology to create Muoto products includes converting wet wood pulp into three-dimensional packages without any intermediate steps. Metsä Spring says this process facilitates low-carbon footprint production and shipping.

The fiber-based packaging is said to be easy to mold into different shapes, lightweight, and strong. Muoto products have various applications from takeaway foodservice to industrial packing. 

Earlier this year, Metsä Board announced the installation phase of a board machine modernization at its Simpele mill in Finland.