World of fibre
75 % Forests cover
12.6 % Finland has 2.9 million hectares of protected forests and forests in restricted forestry use. This is 12.6 per cent of the forest area.
108 Finnish forests grow by roughly 108 million cubic metres annually. M m 3
more than 75 per cent of Finland’s land area. In relation to its surface area, Finland is the most forested country in Europe.
Source: Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Next-generation packaging materials
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Could biobased polymers be transformed into new barriers and coatings for packaging materials? What is the potential of fibre- based materials in packaging reuse? These are among the themes that are being investigated in a joint programme, ExpandFibre Ecosystem, launched by Metsä Group and the Finnish energy group Fortum, which has been granted a total of EUR 70 million in public research funding. Up to now 12 significant research projects have been launched in the ExpandFibre ecosystem. Important themes for Metsä Group are packaging, textile fibres, biocomposites, and other new fibre products. All research projects involve many expert partners for whom these themes are particularly relevant. Metsä’s customers are also involved in the projects. The ExpandFibre Ecosystem is an opportunity for finding innova- tion and collaboration partners and new business opportunities, gaining better insights and connections to project preparation initiatives between companies, and between companies and research institutes, and sharing thoughts and ideas with those who have the same vision for a sustainable future.
We produce Fibre magazine for our pulp customers and hope to get feedback from you on the magazine’s content. Where did we succeed? What could we improve? What was especially interesting, what offered new information or was enjoyable? What topics would you like to read about in future issues?
Metsä Group and Valmet’s demo plant for alternatives to plastic packaging A 3D fibre product demo plant began operation in the spring of 2022 in Äänekoski, producing a new product, Muoto®. Made from renewable and sustainably grown wood raw material, Muoto® is an excellent alternative to plastic in various end uses, such as food packaging products of various sizes and shapes. The plant is jointly owned by Valmet and Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring. Muoto®’s features and production method are being developed at the demo plant, and its market potential is being tested. If market interest and product viability can be established on a large scale, Metsä Group will consider building a larger production unit.
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