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STORA ENSO OYJ PRESS RELEASE 26 August 2020 at 9:00 EEST
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Stora Enso will build a pilot facility for producing Cellulose foam, a lightweight, fiber-based foam material for protective packaging and cushioning. Bio-based foams are renewable and recyclable and can be used in packaging, for example, to replace oil-based polymer foams which are widely used today. The pilot plant will be located at Stora Enso’s Fors Mill in in Sweden.

The cellulose foam is a sustainable packaging material and it further increases Stora Enso’s opportunities to replace fossil-based materials with renewable and recyclable materials. The initial target application for the foam will be the protective packaging of fragile products, for example in consumer electronics. Bio-based foams also have the potential to replace polymeric foams in a range of markets and applications where the demand for sustainable materials is increasing, such as sports equipment, thermal insulation in shipments and as a growth medium in soil-free farming, among other areas.
 
“The interest in sustainable packaging solutions is already large and continuously growing. Companies are looking for bio-based materials in order to achieve their own environmental goals for recycling, reducing plastic waste and using fossil-free materials, while maintaining high-quality packaging performance,” says Markus Mannström, Executive Vice President of Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division. “Our bio-based foam offers a renewable, recyclable and biodegradable alternative to traditional oil-based packaging foams such as expanded polyethylene (EPE) and expanded polystyrene (EPS). With this pilot, we continue to build on our long-term R&D work while introducing innovative materials to replace fossil-based ones,” Mannström says.
 
Stora Enso’s pilot aims to evaluate and validate the cellulose foam as a packaging foam in customer tests and to further develop the production process. The new pilot plant will be part of Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division.
 
The design and engineering of the pilot facility will start immediately. It is estimated that the plant will be ready in the fourth quarter of 2021. Decisions about commercialisation will follow, after evaluating the results of the pilot-scale production.
 
Stora Enso’s Fors Mill today produces world-class light-weight paperboards for consumer packaging. The modern mill’s energy production is free from fossil-CO2 emissions. The pilot plant investment will not impact the mill’s current production.
 
 

For further information, please contact:
Ingrid Peura
SVP Communications, Biomaterials division
tel. +358 50 307 0026



Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper. We believe that everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow. Stora Enso has some 25 000 employees in over 30 countries. Our sales in 2019 were EUR 10.1 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY). storaenso.com
 
STORA ENSO OYJ

Cellutech was selected as one of ten inspiring start-ups to participate in the Bio-Stars programme at World Bio Markets 2019. Given the opportunity to exhibit and present our cellulose foam resulted in the pleasure to receive the Best Pitch Award.

Criteria: "As voted for by our attendees, the favourite five minute presentation from our Bio-Stars – the most dynamic and inspiring start-ups in the industry who were invited to the event to speak and exhibit."

Our cellulose foam won the Packaging Innovation Award at the PPI Awards. 
About the award: "As end-users have become more aware of the environmental benefits of paper over plastic, sustainable packaging has emerged as a growth area in the industry. The winner of this award is the team that has researched, designed, produced and marketed a product that demonstrably opens up new markets and opportunities.One particular area of note is clearly demonstrating where paper and paperboard can take over the role of plastic."

Today it is announced that Stora Enso has acquired all outstanding shares in Cellutech. 

The acquisition of Cellutech supports Stora Enso’s vision of replacing fossil-based materials with renewable ones originating from wood.
 
“Stora Enso has been with us from the start and we share the same belief that everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow. Fostering breakthrough innovations in new materials is an important step to reach this goal and something that Cellutech has been working hard to master. We are now looking forward to the opportunities this acquisition will bring to the innovations we are working with” says Åsa Ek, CEO, Cellutech.
 
Cellutech develops new sustainable wood-based materials. The company works with cutting-edge scientific research developed at Wallenberg Wood Science Center, and advances the ideas into commercially viable technologies and products. One example is a lightweight cellulose foam made of paper which replaces traditional plastic foams, such as Styrofoam in packaging. The award-winning material can either be recycled as regular paper, or composted at home, and it will biodegrade should it end up in nature. “The market has been searching for a sustainable material that can replace Styrofoam and we believe that for certain products cellulose foam is the answer” says Paula Martirez, Business Development Manager, Cellutech. Work is now focused on scaling up the production to pilot. Other technologies Cellutech has include cellulose spheres, magnetic cellulose and transparent wood.
 
As part of Stora Enso’s Biomaterials Division, the team will continue their work of developing and commercializing new materials and applications. 
 
For further information please contact: 
Åsa Ek, CEO +46 70 203 1817
 
 
About Stora Enso
Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper. Stora Enso has some 26 000 employees in over 30 countries. Sales in 2017 were EUR 10 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY). 

 

10 startups competed in the finale of the Packbridge Startup Challenge, held during the Top Packaging Summit on September 20 in Malmö. Cellutech presented its Cellulose foam material and was awarded both 1st PRIZE selected by the jury and the audience vote BEST PITCH, sponsored by Empack. The jury's motivation was: "It is an innovative solution which addresses the recycling problem, it helps to create a circular material flow, it has a big potential impact on the B2B market, and you can grow a tree on it".

"We are very proud to have come this far after years of research, now the foam is ready for the next stage which is scaling up to pilot. We have a very exciting time ahead of us", Paula Martirez, Business Development Manager, Cellutech.

The Packbridge Challenge is a competition directed towards companies with a unique business concept or innovation with the potential on the global market. Cellutech is competing with its cellulose foam, a material innovation for use in e.g. sustainable protective packaging. The final competition will be held during the Top Packaging Summit, September 20th in Malmö. 

Cellutech is proud to announce that three new Scientists have joined the team, Oruç Köklükaya, Maryam Ghanadpour and Daniel Hult. 

Lyssna på Avsnitt 41 – Intervju med Åsa Ek på Cellutech från Skogspodden i Podcaster. 
​https://itunes.apple.com/se/podcast/avsnitt-41-intervju-med-%C3%A5sa-ek-p%C3%A5-cellutech/id1112977508?i=1000415329978&mt=2
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