Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is bringing the market an improved version of MetsäBoard Classic FBB, pushing the industry forward with its higher-than-ever print quality and a lower-than-ever carbon footprint.

Known and loved for its stable quality, stiffness and light weight, and its ability to consistently deliver, MetsäBoard Classic FBB is already the leading choice for fast moving goods, such as food and healthcare packaging. Thanks to an approximately EUR 60 million modernisation of the Simpele folding boxboard mill, it will now deliver further improved print quality that extends the end use area of the grade to even more demanding print jobs. 

"By combining curtain coating and blade coating, the newest version of MetsäBoard Classic FBB delivers more visual uniformity and brighter and more vivid images, which we believe is going to help our customers' products truly stand out on store and pharmacy shelves," says Maarten Florizoone, Vice President, Growth, Folding Boxboard. "It's kicking off a new era in folding boxboard."

Energy consumed at Simpele mill to produce MetsäBoard Classic FBB has already been 89% fossil-free, and that number is estimated to reach 98% by the end of 2025.

"The board is a big part of our customers' products, so if we don't push ourselves forward in our fossil CO₂ targets, our customers will have a hard time decreasing their Scope 3 CO₂ emissions and meeting their sustainability targets," Florizoone says. "I think this will set the tone for future developments both in and outside of the company. Somebody needs to lead the pack and this product will do that," says Florizoone.

Work has already begun at the Simpele the mill site and the construction phase is ongoing. Once detailed engineering at the mill is completed, the technology installation will take place during a scheduled maintenance shutdown in September 2025. The improved product will be available to customers in October 2025. 

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