Sustainable Barrier Alternatives and Applications with Stora Enso

Opportunity overview

The Packaging Materials division at Stora Enso is driven by a high demand for plastic free and eco-friendly circular packaging. Our ultimate goal is a reduction in CO2 emissions by decreasing plastic use and increasing recyclability, which is currently done by providing premium renewable and recyclable packaging materials based on both virgin and recycled fiber. However, cardboard and paper materials are still mostly coated with plastics to provide functionality and required barrier properties.

We are searching for innovative solutions to make our packaging fully recyclable and equip cardboard and paper materials with protective features. This can be either in the form of alternative barrier materials (to reduce the amount of plastic while achieving equivalent barrier properties) or through implementing a new base material and/or 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 and therefore requirements for materials also vary based on the packaging type.