Kati ter Horst heads Stora Enso’s paper business in a situation where the entire industry has gone through a major change, brought on by gradually declining demand. Yet paper is still a big business.
The modernised mill of Stora Enso in Varkaus is in brand new shape and ready to give an increasingly efficient response to the changing global demand for forest industry products. Late last year, with help of a diverse network of partners, the mill’s fine paper producing paper machine PM3 was converted into a machine that produces packaging board.
VTT developed a fully bio-based food package with excellent technical properties. The stand-up pouch is coated with, among other things, nanocellulose produced with the HefCel method.
Partnerships reaching into the future arise in various forms in different companies.
According to Janne Laine, bioeconomy needs success stories for the most promising people in younger generations to get interested in the field.
As part of an extensive EU project, new construction materials are being developed from demolition wood.
Even though urbanisation, environmental values and the spread of online commerce are creating new business opportunities, you cannot draw a straight line from megatrends to the growth outlooks of Finnish businesses operating in the bioeconomy sector.
Russia’s fibre and paper production is able to satisfy the home-market demand, but in terms of specialty papers and coated packaging board, it has to rely on imports.
An unprecedented jam of EU regulations and Brexit are producing question marks, but CEPI’s Deputy Director General Jori Ringman still believes the bioeconomy to hold more promises than threats.
Traditionally, lignin – the substance that binds wood fibres – has been incinerated along with black liquor in a pulp mill’s soda recovery boiler. The result has been steam and heat for energy use. The exploitation of lignin is nevertheless expanding, since a new technology is also opening doors for its use in bioeconomy applications.
Puunvuoro / Legendium Oy
Kutomo Business Park
Kutomotie 16
00380 Helsinki
