Metsä Board Verifies Lower Carbon Footprint for Fiber Takeaway Trays vs Plastic

Metsä Board published a verified carbon footprint case study comparing takeaway food trays made from its fresh fiber paperboard against plastic alternatives, demonstrating significant GHG reductions for fiber-based solutions in foodservice packaging. The analysis, conducted under ISO standards, highlights Metsä Board's renewable materials outperforming fossil-based plastics across production, use, and end-of-life phases, supporting EU PPWR recyclability goals by 2030.​

Key findings show fiber trays achieve 60-80% lower emissions due to lightweight design, efficient virgin fiber sourcing from sustainable forestry, and high recyclability rates exceeding 90% in advanced systems. Plastic trays incur higher footprints from extraction, manufacturing energy, and lower recovery. This data bolsters paperboard's role in circular economy transitions for quick-service restaurants, reducing Scope 3 emissions while maintaining food safety and functionality. Metsä Board positions the study as evidence for stakeholders favoring verified sustainability metrics over reusable mandates.