Ahead of Plastics & Paper in Contact with Foodstuffs 2025, we spoke to Helena Moring-Vepsäläinen, Manager, Product Safety at Metsä Board Corporation.
Our interview provides a sneak peek of what you can expect from the 2025 conference...
We’re looking forward to Metsä Board speaking at the P&P conference. You’ll be speaking about How to communicate the safety of paperboard packaging in a developing regulatory landscape – can you share a few details about your presentation?
First I will take a look at how we handle the different perspectives of compliance of our paperboard products through our processes. This involves a lot of communication to many directions. I’ll walk through the key communication channels we rely on and highlight the essential information that is shared through them. The presentation will emphasize how this structured communication benefits all stakeholders, helping ensure transparency, trust, and alignment in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment.
In a fast-evolving regulatory environment, how can the packaging industry effectively communicate the safety and compliance of paperboard materials used for food contact?
Companies need to follow the changing regulations intensively to keep up with all the updates. Smooth processes for handling information are essential to manage compliance and stakeholder communication. At Metsä Board, we’ve developed robust structures and tools that support seamless information flow in all directions. Our customer-centric approach has shaped these solutions, guiding us toward clear, consistent formats for sharing information that meet the needs of both regulators and stakeholders.
What are the key regulatory developments affecting paperboard packaging today, and how should businesses prepare their communication strategies to stay ahead of change?
Staying active in the regulatory discussion with all the stakeholders is crucial for company success. With regulations evolving rapidly — especially in areas like food contact legislation, packaging and packaging waste, and broader safety and sustainability topics — companies must be ready to communicate product compliance clearly and promptly. Having well-designed structures and tools in place makes it easier to adapt communication to changing requirements, ensuring consistency, clarity, and responsiveness.
What are you most looking forward to at the P&P conference?
Looking at the agenda, I’m genuinely excited to hear from my talented colleagues especially on topics related to the fast-paced changes in the regulatory landscape. I’m particularly looking forward to gaining new perspectives on the challenges we all face in this area. And of course, the opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and have meaningful conversations with the experts behind the scenes is something I truly value.
Watch Helena's presentation at P&P 2025 at 2pm on 9 December.
