Metsä Board, a leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards, will begin the installation phase of a major board machine modernisation at its Simpele mill this September as part of a €60 million investment programme. The investment will elevate the quality of the flagship folding boxboard grade MetsäBoard Classic FBB and accelerate the mill’s transition toward fossil-free production. The renewed MetsäBoard Classic FBB will feature curtain coating technology, resulting in an improved print surface and enhanced visual quality. This innovation enables more consistent print results and sharper details, especially in demanding packaging applications. Currently, 89% of the energy used in production at the Simpele mill is fossil-free. With the implementation of new technologies, this figure is expected to rise to 98% by the end of 2025, marking a significant milestone in Metsä Board’s journey toward fossil-free production and supporting customers’ increasingly ambitious sustainability goals.

A new page-turning promotional lookbook of unique surface design treatments — including arresting images, unconventional diecuts, spectacular printing and specialty techniques — has just been released by Neenah. The book is crafted on papers from The Design Collection, Neenah’s range of pearlized surfaces, unique textures and dramatic colors, inspired by Italy’s top fashion houses and America’s leading designers. “These are highly unique papers that naturally draw attention,” says Auburne Gahlman, Associate Brand Manager, Neenah. “With this lookbook, we set out to consider surface design in relation to these extraordinary papers. The result shows how conceptual aesthetics, through means such as line, texture, color, light, and patterning, can be alluring to both hand and eye.” Click Read More below for additional detail.

Today, binders are largely based on components of fossil origin. Stora Enso has created a binder, NeoLigno® by Stora Enso - Bio-based materials | Stora Enso NeoLigno® by Stora Enso, which is made of bio-based materials. Stora Enso together with RISE, IsoTimber, and Moelven, have proven that the bio-based binder works in construction elements on industrial scale, making them 100% fossil-free. NeoLigno® by Stora Enso is a binder made from lignin, which is an organic polymer present in all land-living plants, such as trees. Lignin is the natural binder in wood, it keeps the fibers together and protects the material from rotting. NeoLigno® is bio-based and free from formaldehyde and isocyanate. For two and a half years, Stora Enso, RISE, IsoTimber, and Moelven have worked together in a project with the aim to produce fossil-free construction boards and elements.