New resource saving and recyclable microflute solution as alternative to traditional rigid boxes

Packaging Solutions Green Solutions

Metsä Board has designed a lighter gift package that has strength features close to those of the rigid box solutions currently used for premium products such as cosmetics. With the new design, made from microfluted corrugated board, the company wanted to present a new gift box solution that uses less material and has a lower carbon footprint than traditional rigid boxes.

The team at Metsä Board’s Excellence Centre in Äänekoski, Finland started to work on the new alternative a few years ago. ‘We were looking to provide the same experience by remodeling a box that was strong and rigid but lighter and with a smaller environmental impact,’ explained Ilkka Harju, packaging services director.

The best solution turned out to be microflute, which has a significantly smaller and lower flute size than traditional corrugated boards. The packaging consists of a separate base and lid made of microflute. Its surface liner can be uncoated white kraftliner or coated white kraftliner. Of these, the latter gives the package the best printing properties.

The packaging solution is designed to be production efficient from start to finish and suitable for mass production on current production lines – with no major retooling required. According to Ilkka Harju, the new gift packaging solution is an ideal fit, especially for cosmetics, chocolate, beverages and other premium products.

‘Cosmetics are probably the number one application area, but the material can be customised very easily to create unique packaging solutions,’ Ilkka said.

The new lightweight solution also uses significantly less material. Metsä Board’s Sustainability Services team compared the new microflute solution to recycled fibre based rigid box solutions and found the microfluted concept to be up to 50% lighter.

‘Thanks to its lightness, the new packaging solution can help our customers reach their carbon reduction targets,’ Ilkka added.

The cradle to gate carbon footprint of the new solution – which considers value chain stages from raw materials extraction until the paperboard product leaves the mill – was also calculated and found to be 59% lower than that of traditional solutions.

Ilkka concluded, ‘Since no harmful adhesives or other plastic laminates are used in the packaging solution the recycling becomes much more efficient.’