Metsä Board, part of Metsä Group, will open a new Packaging Design Studio in Milan in summer 2026, marking a significant step in accelerating packaging innovation and strengthening collaboration with European brand owners, converters, and packaging developers.
“Located in one of Europe’s leading design capitals, the Milan studio gives us a perfect setting to work even more closely with our customers. The studio makes it easy to connect, test ideas and move towards solutions that keep pace with the fast‑evolving packaging landscape,“ says Erja Hyrsky, SVP, Commercial Operations.
Equipped with modern tools and advanced AI‑supported design and simulation technologies, the studio will enhance the way workshops, design sprints, and co‑creation sessions are carried out more effectively, especially in projects where sustainability targets, performance requirements or regulatory changes drive the need for new solutions.
Bringing packaging design, product development and technical competence into one location enables closer cooperation across the packaging value chain. The studio provides a place where insights, materials, and manufacturing requirements can be considered holistically, supporting customers in developing solutions that are both functional and ready for implementation.
“With the new studio in Milan, we are creating a space where innovation, design, and technical excellence meet,” says Ilkka Harju, Director, Packaging Design Services. “This enables us to work side by side with customers and partners on solutions that move efficiently from idea to implementation.”
The Milan studio complements Metsä Board’s existing Excellence Centre in Äänekoski, Finland, which focuses on material research, packaging performance testing, and holistic packaging development, as well as the company’s Packaging Design Studio in Norwalk, US, which supports customers in North America.
Opening in summer 2026, the Milan Packaging Design Studio will welcome customers, partners, and industry stakeholders to explore and develop new packaging solutions together.