Scoop of sustainability: Metsä Board unveils eco-friendly redesign for ice cream cone packaging
By KalvinPR
GeneralNorwalk, CT — Dec. 4, 2023 — Metsä Board collaborated with industry leaders to redesign a favorite of the frozen food aisle: ice cream cone packaging. The team looked into different stages of the value chain, ranging from material production, to ink usage and logistics. The result is a packaging with a significantly lower climate impact.
The team of design, printing and converting experts first analyzed frozen-food packaging to identity areas of improvement. These solutions traditionally rely on recycled fibres and spot-colour printing. With this project, the team wanted to showcase new possibilities using carefully selected lightweight, fresh fibre materials and flexographic printing methods to achieve excellent usability and unparalleled halftone graphics with less impact on the climate.
Metsä Board’s double-coated white-top kraftliner (MetsäBoard Prime WKL, 125 g/m2) was selected as the top liner for its lightweight and smooth surface that enables excellent reproduction of detailed visuals. The inside liner and fluting were made from uncoated kraftliner (MetsäBoard Natural WKL Bright 90 g/m2), which is ideal for small and lightweight packaging requiring high strength. Both materials are made from pure and traceable fresh wood fibre, making the packaging easily recyclable or compostable and safe for food packaging. Having two layers from same material also simplified production without compromising quality.
Metsä Board’s Sustainability Services did detailed calculations of the paperboard materials comparing them to traditional white lined chipboards used in the European market. Due to the eight per cent lighter weight and use of fossil-free energy that is generated as a by-product of Metsä’s chemical pulp production, the new packaging was found to have up to 36 per cent lower climate impact (Cradle-to-Gate + End-of-Life).
Packaging designers at Futupack paid special attention to the user experience by creating an easy-to-open design, eliminating the need for plastic parts or special tools for opening. Attention was also paid to minimizing ink usage, while keeping each variety recognizable. Process printing was selected as the printing method to eliminate the use of spot colours and enhance efficiency and flexibility.
Future-ready printing methods
Packaging manufacturer Adara Pakkaus, proposed 64-lpcm expanded colour gamut (ECG) co-printing as a suitable method for the corrugated board. The flexo printing plates were supplied by Marvaco. By using the carefully selected kraftliner materials, the team was able to eliminate the ‘washboard effect’ common in corrugated boards.
”This high-resolution quality is unusual in such solutions; corrugated post-print typically achieves lower accuracy. ECG benefits co-printing, consolidating designs, reducing waste, plates, energy, and press-return inks,” says ECG printing specialist Dr. Kai Lankinen, who consulted on the project.
Adara’s Head of Printing Lari Seppälä noted the eco-efficiency of the project, which included reviewing the entire process for selecting options to lower the environmental impacts. “With our new seven-colour press and ECG tools, we were able to reduce ink usage, simplify logistics and make the entire process flexible, as well as cost-efficient.”
Earlier this year, the same expert team worked on another project designing the ultralight pizza box. “This ice cream packaging project showcased again the power of seamless teamwork. With the careful selection of materials, and pushing traditional boundaries of printing, we were able to combine excellent functionality and resource efficiency. Collaboration was crucial for understanding the requirements and capabilities in the different stages of the supply chain,” concludes Metsä Board’s Packaging Services Director, Ilkka Harju.
Metsä Board
www.metsagroup.com/metsaboard/
Metsä Board is a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards. We focus on lightweight and high-quality folding boxboards, food-service boards and white kraftliners. The pure fresh fibres we use in our products are a renewable and recyclable resource, that can be traced back to sustainably managed northern forests We are a forerunner in sustainability, and we aim to have completely fossil free mills and raw materials by the end of 2030.
Together with our customers we develop innovative packaging solutions to create better consumer experiences with less environmental impact. In 2022, our sales totalled 2.5 billion Euros, and we have around 2,250 employees. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki.
Metsä Group
www.metsagroup.com
Metsä Group is leading the way in advancing the bioeconomy. We invest in growth, bioproduct development and a fossil-free future. The raw material for our products is renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. We focus on the growth sectors of the forest industry: wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards, as well as tissue and greaseproof papers.
Metsä Group’s annual sales amount to approximately seven billion Euros, and we have around 9,500 employees in around 30 countries. We promote a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion. Our international Group has its roots in the Finnish forests: our parent company is Metsäliitto Cooperative, which is owned by over 90,000 forest owners.
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