Stora Enso and Sulapac develop biodegradable straws
Stora Enso and Sulapac have joined forces to develop renewable and sustainable straws in a bid to combat the billions thrown away every year.
The straws are based on Sulapac’s biocomposite material – made of wood and natural binders – designed to be recycled via industrial composting and biodegrade in marine environments.
“This is an important step for Stora Enso and showcases our long-term commitment to gradually replacing fossil-based materials with renewable solutions. Our collaboration with Sulapac is a great example of what we can achieve through partnership in terms of driving innovation to create sustainable solutions within the bioeconomy,” says Annica Bresky, Stora Ensoo EVP, consumer board division.
Stora Enso signed a joint development agreement with Sulapac in May 2018 to license its materials and technology. The development of the demo straw is a joint collaboration between Stora Enso and Sulapac – a co-operation which complements Stora Enso’s extensive biocomposite portfolio.
“Eco-awareness is a strong driver for consumer demand, and our customers want help in replacing non-renewable materials. Different biocomposite solutions, such as renewable caps and closures and straws will be add-ons and a complement to our own consumer board portfolio, bringing additional value to our customers,” says Hannu Kasurinen, SVP head of liquid packaging and carton board.
“Today, we proudly announce that we are launching a demo for a recyclable, microplastic-free and marine biodegradable straw. This is the world’s most sustainable straw that can be produced on an industrial scale and we have jointly developed it with Stora Enso. Billions of plastic straws are produced and used every week. This straw has the potential to be a true game changer,” says Sulapac’s founder and CEO Suvi Haimi.
The straw will introduced in a demo at Slush 2018, a global start-up event, gathering over 20,000 tech enthusiasts. Sulapac’s material works in existing extrusion lines and the target is to have the straws commercially available in Q2 2019