Both firms plan to begin developing the packaging in January with the goal of providing Moelven's future customers with items packaged without using fossil fuels and reducing the overall carbon footprint
Moelven Wood and Billerud to replace plastic shrink wrap of Moelven's interior panels. (Credit: Billerud AB)
European wood processing company Moelven Wood and Swedish pulp and paper firm Billerud have partnered to develop a new renewable packaging solution for the former’s interior panels.
The partnership is intended to create a paper solution to replace the existing plastic shrink wrap of Moelven’s panels.
The collaboration is the result of an innovation competition organised by Paper Province.
According to Billerud, the move is aimed at lowering the carbon footprint of the wood processing company.
Both firms plan to begin developing the packaging in January to provide Moelven’s future customers with items packaged without using fossil fuels.
Moelven Wood product development manager Tjalling Chaudron said: “Billerud’s team presented a sharp and concrete solution that conveys sustainability, reflects the content, and visually stands out in stores.
“We are confident that we together can develop a packaging with good technical properties, that can add value to our products and have an achievable implementation in the factory.”
The MoelvenHackathon competition saw the submission of 22 solution proposals by 19 companies to replace the wooden interior panels of Moelven.
Out of these, Ahlstrom, Billerud, Boxon, Lignin Industries, and T-Emballage were chosen to work on the challenge at the contest arranged by the forestry bioeconomy cluster Paper Province.
These companies improved their ideas throughout the competition with assistance from mentors in the areas of business and product development, communication, value proposition, and materials.
Billerud and their fibre-based packaging solution were declared the winners following the firms’ presentations to the Moelven panel.
Billerud business development manager Björn Larsson said: “The packaging solution that we presented offers a modern and attractive packaging for a modern and attractive panel.”
In October this year, the Swedish pulp and paper firm divested its stake in Denmark-based Paboco to Austria-based ALPLA for an undisclosed sum.