VTT Unveils Origami-Inspired Cardboard Packaging Technology for a Greener Future

VTT Launches a New Origami Packaging Technology

In December 2024, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland collaborated with Aalto University and Finnish industrial partners to develop a new technology for cutting cardboard in an exclusive continuous procedure to generate reel-to-reel origami-encouraged structures for fibre-based packing resources. The origami folds have the capability to produce completely new belongings from cardboard. The lightweight and durable structure of the cardboard offers an exceptional and visually attractive substitute to shielding packing resources such as plastic and expanded polystyrene. The aesthetics of the resources have also garnered interest from inventors. 

The market for packing resources is expected to increase with the supremacy of e-commerce. Though there is also increasing apprehension about the carbon footprint of packing, as well as the arrangement of resources. Global sustainability problems, such as the potential ecological influence of microplastic contamination, mean that the demand for new, sustainable packing solutions is expected to upsurge. Including 13 diverse corporations, organisations, and universities at several stages, the FOLD and FOLD2 projects are keystones in a mission to renew and enlarge how cardboard is utilized as a packaging resource. The two-phase project started with designing an appliance to crinkle the origami cardboard, with the succeeding segment of the project set to start testing other resources. The result has been a booming success, heading to new applications of cardboard to building packing resources that are versatile, flexible, durable, and sustainable.

The creator of the FOLD project and Research Team Leader at VTT, Jarmo Kouko, expressed, "The technology of FOLD is completely unique in the world. Origami folding transforms cardboard into a flexible, protective, and visually appealing material unlike anything that’s previously been available for industry-wide production. The technology we’ve developed also has the capacity to produce foldable materials from recycled goods." Kouko continues, "The Japanese Miura origami pattern we’ve chosen is relatively simple, which makes it potentially suitable for folding many other materials. We have investigated the possibilities of developing techniques and models where felt or film made from PET, widely used in plastic packaging, could be shaped in the Miura form. We’ve also performed some preliminary testing for other materials, such as aluminium foil.”