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Introducing “Muoto” – 3D fibre-based packaging

Introducing “Muoto” – 3D fibre-based packaging
"Muoto" is a new 3D fibre-based packaging technology being developed by Metsä Spring and Valmet. In collaboration with Fiskars Group, Metsä Spring and Metsä Board have designed a complete plastic-free gift packaging for Fiskars "ReNew" scissors (photo courtesy Metsä Spring).

Finland-headed forest industry major Metsä Group is cooperating with compatriot design and brand major Fiskars Group on brand-new fibre-based gift packaging. The innovative "Muoto" 3D inner packaging and a box made of Metsä Board’s folding boxboard encase Fiskars "ReNew" scissors that are made of recycled material.

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Pure, safe, sustainable, easy to use and recyclable. That is what the plastic-free Muoto 3D fibre packaging, originating in northern forests and set to revolutionise packaging, is all about.

Plastic is everywhere, and while it will continue to play a role in the future, there are countless end uses in which we can use a renewable and recyclable bioproduct instead of plastic, said Tarja Heikkilä, Product Manager at Metsä Spring, the innovation and venture capital arm of Metsä Group.

The many shapes of Muoto

Renewable and sustainably grown Finnish wood fibre is the main raw material of the Muoto 3D fibre packaging.

The packaging is made of wet wood-fibre pulp in Äänekoski, Finland, at Metsä Group’s and Valmet’s joint demo plant located at Metsä’s Äänekoski Bioproduct mill.

Muoto 3D fibre packages can be shaped in many ways: they are pressed into their final form using completely new 3D technology that enables the production of rounded, complex shapes familiar to the plastics industry. It is also suitable for creating lightweight yet stiff packaging structures offering good protective properties, Tarja Heikkilä explained.

The end result is a pure and safe Muoto 3D fibre packaging solution of various sizes and shapes, tailored to the end usage, and offering a sustainable alternative to different types of packages.

Towards a more sustainable future

According to Heikkilä, Muoto is now in a demo stage, meaning that its potential is being tested on the market – one example being the cooperation with Fiskars Group, Finland’s oldest company known for its gardening tools and utensils amongst other things.

Fiskars Group believes that pioneering design is sustainable. It covers the entire chain from ideation to sourcing, manufacturing, and business development. We want to challenge throwaway culture in all its forms. Now in the demo stage, Muoto’s production technology and raw material make the product a good example of interesting new initiatives that we’re working on in cooperation with sustainable partners, said Marko Halttunen, Packaging Design Manager at Fiskars.

Collaborating for better packaging

The gift packaging, designed jointly by Metsä Spring, Metsä Board and Fiskars Group, found its shape at Metsä Board’s Excellence Centre.

It combines a Muoto 3D fibre inner packaging, mirroring the iconic shape of the classic scissors, and Metsä Board’s paperboard, which offers a high-quality printing surface for the outer packaging.

The Excellence Centre in Äänekoski organises workshops where we can investigate, innovate and test future material and packaging solutions based on renewable fresh fibre jointly with customers, said Iiro Numminen, Packaging Designer at Metsä Board.

The joint workshops enable the participants to harness the best competence of each expert, survey the customers’ needs and collaboratively create innovative solutions that support the circular economy and address all the needs related to the life-cycle of packaging.

Our workshop featured first-class equipment. We were able to make real packaging prototypes, in which we sought to replicate the handprint characteristic of our iconic scissors. The cooperation and exchange of ideas among experts from different fields were really fruitful, ended Marko Halttunen.

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