AR Packaging reveals R&D consortium with PulPac and RISE to spearhead development of standard product concepts
The objective for the consortium of AR Packaging, PulPac and the Research Institute of Sweden (RISE) is to develop and commercially validate ten standardized product concepts within different packaging and single-use applications during next three years.
The purpose is to enable rapid upscaling and dissemination of the Dry Molded Fiber technology with ready to use and validated designs – building on the combined expertise in the consortium and the support offered by the Swedish Innovation Agency.
“Given Dry Molded Fiber’s unique blend of sustainability, global scalability and cost efficiency we at AR Packaging were early to join the PulPac Technology Pool and are heavily supporting the development. Consumers and the industry alike are seeking a shift to fiber wherever possible. Consequently, we are proud to support these efforts to standardize key product categories, with our long experience in the packaging market and deep insights in the converting industry, offering a much faster path to market and greater spread for this breakthrough technology.” says Ralf Mack, Group Innovation Director at AR Packaging.
“RISE is proud to partner with PulPac and AR Packaging in co-developing these products for global market introduction of Dry Molded Fiber. We are confident that sustainable cellulose-based materials are the key to replacing fossil-based plastics and the dry forming process is definitely an enabler with large and interesting capacity. We are very excited to take lead in validating the products’ recyclability, biodegradability and compostability as well as perform Life Cycle Analyses and examine consumer preferences in the categories.” comments Helena Halonen, Project Manager at RISE.
Studies show that annual CO2 emissions globally from plastics could grow to more than 2.75 billion tons by 2050, equal to 615 coal powerplants[1] . Dry Molded Fiber could decrease emissions significantly in this category. PulPac's vision for Dry Molded Fiber is to grow quickly with its partners and licensees to secure more than 400 production lines around the world by 2025, which allows the replacement of around 1 000 000 tonnes of plastic. This development consortium is a great accelerator that would support with commercial validation in many product categories with designs ready to use for Dry Molded Fiber.
“PulPac’s development continues to accelerate, and we see much value in this consortium with RISE and AR Packaging, and the support from the Swedish Innovation Agency. We see this project of standardizing DMF-solutions in commodity categories for maximum spread and uptake – as any licensee can utilize the results – as a strong testament to both our business model and vision to replace single-use plastics at scale.” comments Linus Larsson, Chief Executive Officer at PulPac AB.
[1] The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL); https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Plastic-and-Climate-Executive-Summary-2019.pdf
For more information please contact:
Ralf Mack, AR Packaging Group, Innovation Director, ralf.mack@ar-packaging.com
Linus Larsson, PulPac, CEO, linus.larsson@pulpac.com
Helena Halonen, RISE, Project Manager, helena.halonen@ri.se
AR Packaging
AR Packaging is one of Europe’s leading companies in the packaging sector with net sales of approximately EUR >900 million, 5,000 employees and 30 factories in 13 countries. The Group offers a unique range of packaging solutions from its specialised plants. Added value is created to its customers through its broad product offering and deep knowledge of carton-based and flexible packaging. The head office is located in Lund, Sweden. AR Packaging has an objective to grow both organically and by way of acquisitions. www.ar-packaging.com
About PulPac
PulPac provides the packaging industry with a groundbreaking manufacturing technology for low-cost, high-performance fiber-based packaging and single-use products. By pioneering the technology of cellulose molding PulPac enables their customers to replace single-use plastics with a sustainable and cost competitive alternative globally.
About RISE Research Institute of Sweden
RISE is Sweden’s research institute and innovation partner. Through our international collaboration programmes with industry, academia and the public sector, we ensure the competitiveness of the Swedish business community on an international level and contribute to a sustainable society. Our 2,800 employees engage in and support all types of innovation processes. RISE is an independent, State-owned research institute, which offers unique expertise and over 100 testbeds and demonstration environments for future-proof technologies, products and services.
About Dry Molded Fiber
Dry Molded Fiber is a patented manufacturing technology by PulPac designed for the circular economy – using renewable pulp and cellulose resources to produce low cost, high performance, fiber-based packaging, and single-use products. Dry Molded Fiber gives up to 80-90% lower CO2 footprint at similar cost as plastic. It is also up to ten times as efficient as conventional fiber molding invented over 100 years ago and saves massive water resources during the defibration process.
