Stora Enso and Finnish packaging manufacturer Sulapac have signed a joint development agreement in a move to combat plastic waste by accelerating the use of fully renewable, recyclable and biodegradable materials in packaging.
Through the collaboration, Stora Enso will licence Sulapac’s materials and technology, and begin the development of fully renewable caps and closures for liquid packages. Other areas for joint development work include food packages and packages for consumer electronics.
Founded in 2016, Sulapac started its corporation with Stora Enso last year through Stora’s accelerator programme, which involves partnering with Aalto University and start-ups to innovate around renewable products. Stora Enso is the first customer to use Sulapac’s material and technology license.
Annica Bresky, EVP of consumer board at Stora Enso, said: “At Stora Enso we believe that everything that’s made with fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow. Our future growth comes from innovations in renewable materials. With our partners, such as Sulapac, we drive these innovations to create the packaging of the future.”
Sulapac CEO Suvi Haimi said: “The world needs material solutions that are 100% biodegradable. Sulapac material has all the benefits of plastic yet it completely biodegrades without the issues of microplastic. With Stora Enso’s global expertise we can really speed up the global launch of our Sulapac material.”
The collaboration follows an announcement earlier this week that Stora Enso launched its wood-based biocomposites DuraSense product, which it describes as a renewable replacement for plastics.
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