"Collaborating with Novapor is a natural fit for us. 50 years of experience in developing innovative packaging, they consistently go the extra mile to solve their clients' challenges. This curiosity and drive have been key to the success of our pilot project," says Juulia Kuhlman, Director Business Development at Stora Enso Biofoams.
The demand for mono-material packaging
For Københavns Møbelsnedkeri, Novapor Nordic needed a smart and sustainable packaging solution to protect their exclusive bathroom mirrors. Traditionally, they would have used polyethylene foam. But the client wanted to reduce their carbon footprint and offer a recyclable solution when delivering products to their customers. Preferably a mono-material alternative based on wood fibres to make the entire packaging recyclable in paper and boards streams.
"Transitioning to wood fibre-based solutions is an important next step in packaging and mono-material packaging made entirely of cardboard and paper, rather than plastic combinations, is highly relevant for our client," says Thomas Søgaard Head of Novapor Nordic.
Thomas and his team began collaborating with Stora Enso two years ago and have been refining the process of converting Papira® with surprisingly few setbacks. "There's no dust or static electricity when cutting and handling Papira®, which is a real advantage. The material properties are excellent. But it's important to realise that switching from fossil-based PU or PE to paper fibre never can be a direct swap -- you need to redesign the packaging to suit the unique characteristics of cellulose foam. Another advantage is that it works with water-based glue instead of hot glue, making the solution even more sustainable," Thomas explains.
Novapor specializes in conversion using water jet cutting machines. Converting paper-based foam materials required process adaptation, which Novapor has successfully resolved to attend to their customer needs.
Shared goals and visions for the future of packaging made the partnership between Stora Enso and Novapor a great match. With meetings and testing in an iterative and collaborative effort to refine the process and solution.
"At Novapor we really are striving to make sure that the market is ready as soon as Papira® is ready for mass production", says Thomas.
Recycled in your regular paper and cardboard streams
"The rules and regulations on waste management are strict, but they will be even stricter come 2030. Providing the market with a foam that can be recycled in your regular paper and cardboard stream is a really important benefit", says Juulia Kuhlman.
Thomas adds:
"And biodegradability while lowering your carbon footprint is a hot topic for our clients! We know of similar products, but they are not in the same phase at this point. So, we have chosen to give our support to Stora Enso and Papira® and they are supporting us. It is a great collaboration. "
Novapor is reaching out to clients where they believe Papira® could be a good fit both in terms of functionality and in branding value. Københavns Møbelsnedkeri is one of their pilot projects and Stora Enso are proud to be a part of their switch to wood foams - and very excited for the future.
