Metsä Board opens design studio in Milan

Brands are facing growing pressure to reduce material use, improve recyclability, comply with tightening regulations and replace fossil-based materials. In response, companies are seeking faster, more reliable ways to develop packaging while reducing uncertainty throughout the design process.

 

The new studio enables customers to become involved from the earliest stages of development, allowing concepts to be tested, refined and validated before they reach the market. It combines Metsä Board's packaging design expertise, premium fresh fibre-based materials designed for lightweight, recyclable packaging, and data-driven analysis tools, including AI-supported design and simulation capabilities.

 

"Milan offers a unique combination of a strong packaging ecosystem and a world-class design environment. Being there allows us to work more closely with our customers and strengthen collaboration across key European markets," said Erja Hyrsky, SVP Commercial Operations.

 

According to Metsä Board, the studio promotes a co-development approach in which design, material selection and performance testing advance in parallel. The objective is to shorten development cycles and bring solutions validated for real-world performance to market faster.

 

The company said this approach is particularly well suited to the food, pharmaceutical and beauty sectors, where packaging must meet demanding functional and regulatory requirements.

 

Metsä Board is a leading European producer of folding boxboards, foodservice boards and white kraftliners. A member of Metsä Group, the company generated sales of EUR 1.8 billion in 2025 and employs approximately 1,900 people.