31 May, 2011
Stora Enso is taking a significant step forward in renewable materials innovation by building a pre-commercial plant at Imatra in Finland for the production of microfibrillated cellulose. The new type of renewable material will be used in existing and new unique fibre-based paper and board products, barrier materials, and other potential future applications.
“The MFC pre-commercial plant is another proof point of rethinking within Stora Enso. It is not only an example of pathfinding innovation together with institutions and universities for the benefit of consumers and even the planet; it is also a proof point of Stora Enso’s commitment to accelerating the development of the next generation of renewable materials. With MFC we will be able to develop lighter, stronger renewable packaging materials, a lot more with a lot less. The pre-commercial plant will put us into a unique position to accelerate customer-driven innovation and product concepts from this technology. In the longer term, as we continue to renew and challenge ourselves, the applications of this renewable material may well extend to replacing today’s fossil-based materials such as plastics and some speciality chemicals, and aluminium – revolution instead of evolution,” says Stora Enso CEO Jouko Karvinen.
The microfibrillated cellulose technology project, including the Imatra pre-commercial plant, is estimated to total approximately EUR 10 million. The plant is scheduled to start production by the end of 2011.