23/10/2007 Press release 23.10.2007 M-real Consumer Packaging, a leading supplier of paperboards to the beauty and healthcare markets, is showing its newly improved grades, Avanta Ultra and Avanta Prima, at Luxepack. Both boards now offer superior printability combined with a more generous yield, being light-weighted by between 2-4% but without loss of thickness and stiffness. “Avanta Ultra and Avanta Prima are high performance paperboards ideal for beautycare packaging, helping make a striking visual and tactile impression at the point-of-sale,” says Riikka Joukio, VP Marketing M-real Consumer Packaging. “We will demonstrate at Luxepack that these products retain all the bulk and feel essential for luxury products while allowing cost savings to be made through lightweighting.” Both Avanta Ultra and Avanta Prima are fully coated folding boxboards suitable for offset, gravure and flexo printing, giving consistent results in converting and packing processes. The moisture content of both boards has been increased, enhancing their cutting and creasing properties, and tighter grammage tolerance has improved their consistency. Avanta Ultra has improved visual smoothness and higher top side brightness, giving better colour contrast, wider colour range and fast colour matching. It provides a superb surface for eye-catching, attractive print results and is the perfect material for deluxe packaging embellished with special features, such as glossy varnishes, embossings and foils. The smoothness of the heavier Avanta Ultra grades has been especially optimised to get the best out of foiling techniques. Avanta Ultra is recommended for fragrances, make-up, toiletries, hair colourings and other demanding packaging. Pure and hygienic to sight and touch, Avanta Prima lends itself equally to beautycare and healthcare packaging, offering good print quality on its top side. It is exceptionally light yet very stiff, and through lightweighting gives between 2.3-4% higher yield depending upon the grammage specified. Avanta Prima provides an excellent base for special features and packaging designs. As well as cost savings, lightweighting improves sustainability throughout the supply chain from manufacture to consumer. Lighter boards require less raw material and energy in the board making process, and the carton plant needs less packaging material for the goods it produces. With a reduction in total weight throughout the chain, less transport is required, and there is less dead weight in product transport. Finally, packaging waste at the end of the delivery chain is reduced, for retailer, consumer and the community as a whole. M-real has decades of experience in the beautycare, healthcare and luxury packaging markets, and is committed to innovation and sustainability. It offers short lead times and enhanced availability through its Express Board service, and provides sales and technical support services on a global basis. Its products for luxury packaging include Avanta Ultra, Avanta Prima, Carta Solida, Carta Integra, and Chromolux. Link to photo: http://databank.metsaliitto.com/metsaliitto/mreal.jsp?x=6043076&i=11714219918418 1115206248169193227152160781134 For further information, please contact M-real Consumer Packaging: Mrs Riikka Joukio, Vice President, Marketing Tel. + 358 (0)50 598 7819 E-mail riikka.joukio@m-real.com Mrs Karine Bidart, Sales Manager Beautycare, M-real France Tel. + 33 (0)6 880 64 855 E-mail karine.bidart@m-real.com M-real cartonboard grades best suited for beauty care product packaging include: Avanta Ultra A fully coated folding boxboard (GC1) for beautycare and other demanding packaging. Suitable for offset, gravure and flexo printing. Avanta Prima A fully coated folding boxboard (GC2) for healthcare, beautycare, food and consumer durable packaging. Suitable for offset, gravure and flexo printing. Carta Solida and Carta Integra Fully coated bleached paperboard suitable for offset, gravure, flexo and serigraphy printing. Carta boards provide high stiffness, excellent printability and superior visual appearance. Chromolux A complete selection of cast coated boards for luxury packaging in white, different colours and also deep coloured (Chromolux True), offering high gloss and smooth surface for excellent finishing characteristics especially for exclusive cosmetics and perfumes packaging. M-real is one of Europe's leading paper and paperboard manufacturers. It offers first-class solutions for consumer packaging and for the communications and marketing sectors. The company's global sales network caters for the needs of publishers, printing companies, paper merchants, offices, well-known consumer goods manufacturers, and folding carton printers. M-real is a Metsäliitto Group Company listed on the OMX Helsinki Stock Exchange. In 2006, the company's sales totalled EUR 5.6 billion. M-real employs more than 13,000 people.