Now Stora Enso Oyj, one of Europe's largest paper and packaging makers, has become a key supplier to the iPhone maker, according to documents published last week.

The tie-up wasn't always on the cards. In 2014, then prime minister Alexander Stubb accused the iPad of killing Finland's paper industry, which is dominated by Stora and UPM-Kymmene Oyj. "We have two champions which went down," said Stubb, referring to the paper industry and the demise of local champion Nokia Oyj.

While Nokia is no longer rivalling Apple as a phone-maker, Stora hasn't done that badly. Since Stubb publicly lamented its fate, Stora's shares are up 150%.

Apple has undergone its own shift, away from plastic packaging. For its recent iPhone 8 launch, Apple used a fibre-alternative instead of the polypropylene wrap around the power adapter. The packaging for the iPhone 7 used 84% less plastic than the previous version.

Spokespeople from Stora and Apple declined to comment on the details of the deal between the two companies.

However, winning a contract with Apple gives Stora access to a customer that sells around 75 million iPhones a quarter, all requiring packaging.

It's unclear which supplier was replaced by Stora, or whether it has worked with Apple before. Every year Apple lists its top suppliers, and companies including Shenzhen YUTO Packaging Technology Co, Ltd remain on the list. Regardless, the current deal is likely to be sizable. This year is the first time Stora has made the list since Apple began publishing it in 2012.

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