Pharma & healthcare packaging

Lightweight folding boxboards made from fresh fibre help customers meet these requirements in regulated healthcare environments. Metsä Board’s fibre‑based paperboard packaging solutions are designed to protect product integrity, ensure reliable performance on converting and packing lines, and deliver the quality, safety and consistency required for pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging.

Metsä Board’s folding boxboards are ideal for pharmaceutical and healthcare applications:

• Prescription medicines
• Over-the-counter medicines (OTC)
• Nutraceuticals
• Food supplements
• Herbal medicines and natural health products
• Hygiene and bodycare products

Why choose Metsä Board for pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging?

1. Proven and measurable climate performance for pharmaceutical and healthcare packaging

Third-party-verified case studies show that Metsä Board’s folding boxboards can reduce the climate impact of a healthcare packaging by up to 60% compared with conventional boards. Metsä Board’s production runs on 93% fossil-free energy, and the company’s climate performance is recognised by independent third parties, including EcoVadis Platinum and CDP Triple A.

2. Full traceability of fibre sourcing for pharmaceutical packaging

Metsä Board only uses fresh wood fibre pulp, sourced from northern forests with an ownership base of approximately 90,000 private forest owners. The supply chain is fully certified and traceable, and all Metsä Board products originate from certified forests (92% in 2025) or from sources that meet controlled origin requirements*. Availability from four folding boxboard mills in Finland and Sweden also enhances supply security.

*Metsä Board’s PEFC Controlled Sources licence code is PEFC/02-31-92, and its FSC® Controlled Wood licence code is FSC®-C001580. 

3. Consistent printing and converting performance for pharma and OTC packaging

Metsä Board’s lightweight folding boxboards combine high stiffness at lower grammages with a smooth, defect-free surface for reliable printing and converting. This supports features such as braille and anti-counterfeiting solutions, often crucial for prescription packaging. For over-the-counter (OTC) packaging, the boxboard’s high brightness and excellent printability offer strong branding opportunities, along with premium finishes such as embossing and hot-foil stamping.

4. Audit‑ready documentation for pharmaceutical packaging regulations (PPWR, EPR, EUDR)

As packaging requirements tighten with new regulations such as PPWR, EPR, and EUDR, Metsä Board helps customers stay compliant with clear documentation and support. All the company’s sites are certified under ISO standards, and Metsä Board provides product-specific paper profiles, life cycle assessments (LCAs), and management system certificates to support internal reviews and audits.

5. Expert support for pharmaceutical packaging design and material selection

Leading industry experts can help you choose the right materials and design solutions to improve packaging performance, recyclability, and reduce climate impact. Services include support across the entire packaging value chain with sustainability and product safety training, LCAs, technical assistance, R&D collaboration, and packaging design support.