How2Recycle®, a packaging recyclability labeling system, pre-qualified all Metsä Board’s submitted folding boxboard (FBB) and white kraftliner (WKL) grades of paperboard as “Widely Recyclable,” the most favorable designation given in terms of recyclability for a packaging component.

Owned, developed, and licensed by GreenBlue, How2Recycle is a standardized labeling system that clearly communicates disposal instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward-thinking brands who want their packaging to be properly disposed of and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels.

The carton for Truvia® Calorie-free sweetener, which is produced on MetsäBoard Pro FBB Bright, was pre-qualified as “Widely Recyclable” by How2Recycle. As this example suggests, approval requests are typically submitted by brand owners, but Metsä Board is one of the few material suppliers to get their paperboard grades proactively pre-qualified.

According to Nate Pajka, Sustainability Manager, Metsä Board Americas, “Our goal was to help streamline the recyclability assessment so that brand owners using our board can simply upload a copy of our pre-qualification letter to their own submission of a final package and have an easier time receiving a favorable recyclability designation.” Additional components, product applications, or other attributes may change the final recyclability of the package.

Metsä Board grades assessed included:

• FBB Grades: MetsäBoard Pro FBB OBAfree, MetsäBoard Pro FBB Bright, MetsäBoard Prime FBB EB, MetsäBoard Prime FBB Bright
• WKL Grades: MetsäBoard Classic WKL, MetsäBoard Natural WKL Bright, MetsäBoard Pro WKL, MetsäBoard Prime WKL

How2Recycle’s stated goals are:

• Reduce confusion by creating a clear, well-understood, and nationally harmonized label that enables companies to convey to consumers how to dispose of a package.
• Improve the reliability, completeness, and transparency of recyclability claims.
• Provide a labeling system that is designed to follow the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Competition Bureau Canada’s guidance.

For more information, contact Judy Kalvin, President, Kalvin Public Relations, at 914-693-0123 or jkalvin@kalvinpr.com