Stora Enso has launched its wood-based biocomposites DuraSense product which it describes as a renewable replacement for plastics.
The company said the product is “another major step” in its journey to replacing fossil-based materials with renewable solutions.
DuraSense enables the use of renewable fibres, such as wood, to substitute for a large portion of fossil-based plastic such as bottle caps and kitchen utensils, among other products.
The production of biocomposites began in 2018 at Stora Enso’s Hylte Mill in Sweden, following a €12 million investment announced in 2017. At full production, the mill’s annual production capacity is 15,000 tonnes, which the company says is the largest capacity in Europe dedicated to wood fibre composites.
Jari Suominen, head of wood products at Stora Enso, said: “Reducing the amount of plastic and replacing it with renewable and traceable materials is a gradual process. With DuraSense, we can offer customers a wood fibre-based alternative which improves sustainability performance and, depending on the product, significantly reduces the carbon footprint – all the way up to 80%.”
Stora Enso head of biocomposites Patricia Oddshammar added: “Affordable sustainability and the environment are climbing upwards on consumer agendas. DuraSense can reduce the consumption of plastic materials by up to 60%, ensuring less microplastics end up in the environment.
“Stora Enso’s biocomposites can be reused as a material up to seven times or recycled along with other plastic materials or, alternatively, used for energy recovery at their end of life.”
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