Packaging Solutions is one of Stora Enso’s seven business areas (BA), focusing on sustainable, fiber-based packaging. We deliver premium packaging to leading brands in retail, e-commerce, and industrial markets, while providing design and automation services that improve material use, streamline logistics, and reduce CO₂.

Within Stora Enso’s Packaging Solutions BA, we are continuously working to improve material efficiency, packaging performance and sustainability across our operations. As part of this work, we are offering a master thesis opportunity focused on Light Weighting: reducing corrugated board grammage while maintaining the required packaging performance and quality.

This project explores opportunities to improve material efficiency and reduce fibre consumption while maintaining packaging performance that meets actual customer demand. The focus is on identifying practical Light Weighting opportunities that support both business performance and sustainability.

Your mission

• Analyze the current board grade portfolio and identify realistic Light Weighting potential
• Develop a methodology to optimize grammage without compromising packaging performance
• Evaluate the impact on material efficiency, CO₂ footprint and operational performance
• Investigate influencing factors such as flute type, paper combinations, machine settings and logistics conditions
• Build practical recommendations and KPI models for implementation across plants
• Identify realistic pathways to reduce average board grammage toward more efficient benchmark levels while maintaining customer-required performance

How the project will be executed

You will work closely with Stora Enso’s Operations, Sales, Quality and Sustainability teams, as well as your supervisors. The work may include data analysis using relevant production and quality data, laboratory and plant trials with selected board structures, and evaluation of ECT, BCT and transport performance.

The project execution may also include plant visits, customer performance evaluations and benchmarking between different product portfolios and flute structures. You will assess efficiency potential and operational feasibility, while developing practical recommendations that can support implementation across plants.

For this position, you can plan your time and work flexibly from home or one of our offices, with possible visits to our mills or production sites as part of the project. After agreement with your university supervisor, the project scope and design will be tailored to suit your academic requirements, your interests and Stora Enso’s goals. The project will be executed during the spring semester 2027, from January to June, and consists of 30 HP (Swedish university credits).

What we offer

By writing your master thesis with Stora Enso, you will gain industry insights, valuable contacts for future working life and hands-on experience in a leading global company. You will contribute to improving material efficiency and developing more sustainable packaging solutions, while learning how product performance, production processes and customer requirements connect in an industrial setting.

After finishing your master thesis work with us, we encourage you to apply for the scholarship offered by Ljungbergsfonden. They offer scholarships to Swedish university or college students for forestry-related projects carried out in collaboration with Stora Enso. By joining Stora Enso for your master thesis project, you will also contribute towards a more sustainable world, as we believe that anything made from fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow.

Who are we looking for?

We believe you are in the final year of your master’s studies at a Swedish university, with an interest in sustainable packaging, material optimization and industrial performance improvement. Preferred study backgrounds include Paper Engineering, Packaging Technology, Material Engineering, Process Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Sustainable Product Development.

You are analytical, proactive and curious about how data, production processes and packaging performance can be combined to create practical business impact. You are fluent in English and enjoy collaborating in an international environment.

How can you apply for this master thesis project?

To apply, submit your application through our recruitment tool. Include your CV and a cover letter. If applying as a thesis pair, send one joint application under one name. Attach both CVs and a shared cover letter. We review applications continuously, so apply as soon as possible and no later than October 18th.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding Partner Veera Kaislasalo, [email protected]. She is more than happy to answer your questions.

Welcome to the The renewable materials company!

Stora Enso is a global leader in renewable materials with a strong focus on packaging. Our purpose is to replace non-renewable materials with renewable solutions. Together with our customers, we design and deliver competitive, high-quality packaging materials and solutions, made from fresh and recycled fibers, accelerating the transition to a circular bioeconomy.

We believe that diversity strengthens our competitiveness and leads to better decision‑making. Diverse teams with different backgrounds help us explore new perspectives and challenge our ways of thinking. We actively work to increase diversity in the workplace and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Stora Enso is an equal opportunity employer that follows non‑discriminatory practices.