Introducing the World’s Lightest Pizza Box: The Perfect Blend of Convenience and Sustainability!”
The qualities of this light pizza box outshine traditional solutions.
MetsäBoard Natural WKL Bright
“Compared to conventional solutions, the weight and material consumption of the box has been reduced by approximately 30%. The fresh fiber MetsäBoard Natural WKL Bright used for the box weighs 80 g/m2 (16 lbs/1000ft2). Despite the reduced weight, the E-flute corrugated board box’s structure provides the box with the necessary rigidity and the fresh fiber material the necessary purity to carry a freshly baked pizza. All the corrugated board layers are made of the same material, which makes the production logistics efficient too.” Ilkka Harju, Packaging Services Director at Metsä Board, explains.
The visual outlook of the pizza box was designed by Futupack, and the packaging was manufactured by Adara Pakkaus. The lightweight paperboard substrate was supplied by Metsä Board to deliver a more acceptable, safer, and more sustainable solution for food-grade applications. It is a wholly bleached, uncoated white kraft liner appropriate for flexo, offset, and digital inkjet printing and is available in a basic weight range of 70-160 g/m².
Focus on printability
Special awareness was given to the printing qualities of the packaging. The Researcher and an ECG Expanded Gamut printing expert, Dr. Kai Lankinen, provided valuable consultation on the graphic design, prepress, and flexographic printing requirements.
“Here in the Nordics, we are dedicated to delivering high-quality products while living harmoniously with nature. Working with Metsä Board and their team has been inspiring. What sets this project apart is the focus on the entire product cycle, beyond just the liner board material, with a special emphasis on printing quality, efficiency, and sustainability. Metsä Board brought together professionals from various domains to collaborate to achieve this goal. In the design phase, the team considered the possibilities and requirements of flexographic printing, which led to excellent print results, even though this is uncoated paper stock.” Dr. Lankinen describes the project.
Ground-breaking use of color
To showcase the excellent printing properties of the material, Finnish packaging manufacturer Adara Pakkaus was brought in to produce the corrugated material and printing of the box. The company is known for its innovativeness and high quality. It was recently recognized with a gold medal and best of show award at the USA’s 2023 FTA Excellence of Flexography Awards.
In the case of this pizza box, the high-resolution CMYK image was enriched with spot green and black line colors to enable a bright solid green combined with rich black text. MetsäBoard Natural WKL Bright allowed high-quality image printing in CMYK. Traditionally this has not been possible, and images have been printed with only a few line colors.
The material’s high whiteness provides superb print contrast for high-quality packaging. Its uncoated surface gives an attractive matte look and tactile feel, opening up several possibilities for an uncoated kraft liner. It can be used for an all-white corrugated board, as a top or reverse-side liner, and as fluting. The E-flute solution offers a consistent and good printing surface for utilizing an extensive contrast range of process printing from lightest highlights to darkest shadows while maintaining excellent details.
Small in weight, considerable in sustainability
Once the innovative pizza box was created, Metsä Board’s Sustainability Service compared the packaging to existing solutions. It made a detailed analysis of its environmental impact by looking at both the material and the production. Compared to traditional solutions made of recycled fiber, the weight of the new fiber pizza box made of MetsäBoard Natural WKL Bright was 38% lighter, and its carbon footprint was up to 50% lower. Making it an excellent option for clients looking for more sustainable alternatives.
