FINLAND (News release) -- The need for sustainably produced packaging materials that promote the circular economy is growing worldwide. Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, is a leading European producer of fresh fibre paperboards and a forerunner in sustainability. The company's fresh fibre paperboards are resource-efficient and help reduce the carbon footprint of packaging throughout the value chain. Global demand for high-quality fresh fibre paperboards has grown by around 2-3% per year in recent years and is expected to continue to grow at least at the same rate in the future.

According to its strategy, Metsä Board aims to grow in fibre-based packaging materials and renew its industrial operations. To support its customers' growth and strengthen its service capability, the company is exploring possibilities to increase its folding boxboard capacity in Finland or Sweden. The evaluation of options is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. Metsä Board's current annual paperboard capacity is approximately 2 million tonnes, of which 1.3 million tonnes is folding boxboard and 0.7 million tonnes white kraftliners. The company is Europe's largest producer of folding boxboard and white kraftliners.

Metsä Board has an ongoing investment at its Husum integrated mill in Sweden that will increase the company's annual folding boxboard capacity by approximately 200,000 tonnes. The investment is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023 and the additional capacity is expected to be reached by the end of 2025.

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