Finland Opens New Eco-Friendly Packaging Board Production Line

Finland Introduces New Packaging Board Production Line

Image Credits: Packaging Gateway

Oulu, Finland, introduced a new advanced consumer packaging board production line in Europe. It was introduced by the Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Kari Jordan, the chair of the board of directors of Stora Enso.

Stora Enso has invested €1.1 billion in this production line with other also other development sites, which totals 1.7 billion. The investment is significantly helping towards converting former paper machines into board lines with the use of advanced technologies. Additionally, these technologies have helped in reducing CO2 emissions by 90%.

Stora Enso’s unit in Finland works in catering to the demand for renewable packaging globally and also has a major role to play in the contribution of the circular bioeconomy. Moreover, this site has also been helping to increase the export rate of products containing higher value.

The President and CEO of Stora Enso, Hans Sholstrom, said,

“The Oulu production site is a strategically significant investment as it strengthens our leading position in high-added-value renewable packaging materials and increases Finland’s export revenue significantly. He further added, “Consumer packaging made from wood fibres has great potential to replace plastic packaging, and our materials are designed for existing recycling streams. The nearly carbon-neutral production site in Oulu is a prime example of an investment in bioeconomy, and it concretely contributes to the transition from fossil materials to renewable and recyclable packaging.”

The line produces kraftliner, paper bag material, folding boxboard, and unbleached softwood pulp, where the board materials are made suitable for use in food applications through direct contact.

The head of Stora Enso, Oulu, Matti Leilahti, said that their folding box board can be lighter than the traditional ones, where the material is durable and efficient, and also maintains low transportation costs. He also emphasized taking precautions to mitigate climate change with certain measures.