Thinking outside the box – Henkel and Metsä Board collaborate to advance sustainable packaging

“At Henkel, our mission to advance sustainability is encapsulated by the motto ‘Rethink Everything’,” said Marcel Hübenthal, Head of Sales Europe Consumer Goods Adhesives at Henkel. “Real and sustainable progress demands change, which is why we simply cannot continue to do things as we have in the past. We must re-evaluate everything from formulations, products and manufacturing processes to design processes, disposal solutions and materials. To achieve this, we must think outside the box and look both inward and outward. Hence, it’s vital to also share knowledge and experience throughout the value chain – which makes collaboration with like-minded industry leaders like Metsä Board so important.”

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Henkel aims to pioneer technologies and solutions in the adhesive, sealing and coating industries that will have a significant impact on addressing global environmental and social challenges in three focus areas: CO₂ / energy saving & dematerialization, circular economy and health & safety. Truly sustainable packaging design can have an impact on all three areas, and adhesive technologies play a decisive role.  

“As an adhesive manufacturer, being involved in the ideation process of new packaging from day one is key to developing its full potential with regards to sustainability,” said Marcel Hübenthal. “The individual materials must form a unit with the adhesive so that the packaging can do exactly what it is supposed to. This is why a collaboration with Metsä is so valuable, because the board and adhesive are equally important to form the packaging itself. By working together, we can provide our - often shared - customers with highly effective and dependable solutions,” adds Jean-Baptiste Milleret, Head of Technical Customer Service EIMEA Consumer Goods Adhesives.

Every day, Metsä Board produces thousands of tons of premium paperboard that is used in the manufacture of millions of packages. Of this volume, 70-80% will have an adhesive applied during the converting or filling process. Hence, Olli Suontausta, Director Product Development and Projects at Metsä Board explains: “For both existing paperboards and new grades under development, cooperation with adhesive suppliers is absolutely critical to ensure the high performance of packages made with our products.”  

Through the collaboration, both companies have benefited from an ongoing relationship of knowledge exchange. While Metsä Board has provided Henkel’s teams with training on topics such as board properties, fibre and sustainability, its own personnel have benefitted from Henkel’s adhesives expertise, including specific know-how on how different types of adhesives perform in different temperatures and on different substrates.

“This collaboration has enhanced our internal competencies regarding adhesive properties and performance,” concludes Olli Suontausta. “This means we are better equipped to address customers’ immediate needs and help them solve challenges. From the point of view of new packaging innovations, we can profit from each other’s world-class R&D and testing capabilities to develop even better solutions in the future.”