Sustainable Barrier Alternatives and Applications with Stora Enso

A high demand for plastic-free and eco-friendly circular packaging drives the Packaging Materials division at Stora Enso. Our ultimate goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by decreasing plastic use and increasing recyclability. This is currently done by providing premium renewable and recyclable packaging materials based on virgin and recycled fiber. However, cardboard and paper materials are mostly coated with plastics to offer functionality and required barrier properties.

We seek innovative solutions to make our packaging fully recyclable and equip cardboard and paper materials with protective features. This can be either through alternative barrier materials (to reduce the amount of plastic while achieving equivalent barrier properties) or through implementing a new base material and application technologies.

The materials should eventually comply with food-grade standards, endure humidity, and provide a longer shelf life without compromising high barrier properties. As most of the product segments require specialized or customized barrier properties in areas such as various foods, cosmetics, and pharma, Stora Enso has a variety of use cases. Therefore, requirements for materials also vary based on the packaging type.

We want to replace non-renewable barriers with recyclable and biodegradable solutions. We are looking to utilize innovative materials and state-of-the-art technologies that would be processable and scalable in our production lines. We are open to further co-development to accelerate the growth of your solution. We want to collaborate and share our industry & commercial knowledge to provide you with valuable information about our manufacturing process and commercialization possibilities, enabling your company to further opportunities within the industry.