The use of face masks during the recent pandemic has justifiably grown to hundreds of millions worldwide. However, masks can easily end up littering public places or natural sites. Metsä Board, the leading European producer of premium fresh fibre paperboards and part of Metsä Group, partnered up with a packaging design agency Futupack and corrugated board converter Capertum to manufacture a corrugated mask bin for the specific disposal of face masks. The design of the bins paid special attention to the materials used to produce the bin and the usability and disposability of the bin.
Futupack is a Finnish company that designs and implements sustainable packaging solutions. “We wanted the mask bin to be as aesthetic as possible so that it could be placed easily into any indoor environment. The mask bin is delivered flat, and can be quickly assembled. In addition, full instructions on assembly for the consumers are printed on to the bin itself. When the mask bin is full, it is easy to close the lid, and the entire bin can be safely and hygienically disposed of with the incinerated waste,” says Jani Mäkipää, Lead Packaging Engineer at Futupack.
MetsäBoard Pro WKL 160 g/m2 coated white kraftliner was used as the top liner of the mask bin. The Finnish corrugated board converter Capertum printed the e-flute corrugated board in silk screen. The bin is light and robust thanks to the fresh fibres of the white kraftliner, and its stylish, lightweight design, makes it easy to place in various indoor public spaces.
“With urbanization and a growing population, hygienic waste management solutions are becoming increasingly important. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought its own challenges to waste management. We are happy to be able to offer a solution to the dilemma of mask waste,” says Ilkka Harju, Packaging Services Director EMEA & APAC at Metsä Board who worked on the design project with Futupack.
