Uusi puu – The New Wood Project shows what wood can do. The project promotes wood-based innovations and provides information about them.
The LUT University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland are developing cellulose-based materials called Films for Future (F3), to replace plastics in applications like food packagings.
Consumers are increasingly calling for responsibly manufactured products. They also want packagings with a life cycle that does not burden the environment. And not only consumers, but also the regulation by bodies such as the European Union call for the development of eco-friendly packaging materials and solutions.
The packaging sector is looking for solutions based on renewable raw materials. Many such materials are recyclable and re-usable, reducing both waste and the environmental impact. The demand for renewable packagings is already experiencing a strong growth.
The LUT University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland are collaborating to develop new, eco-friendly packaging materials. The Films for Future (F3) research project focuses on a cellulose-based film solution, designed to replace the conventional plastic coatings and films used in paperboard packagings.
The manufacturing process for film materials developed in the project is based on lignocellulose. The suitability of the film material for food packagings is also studied. In the process, cellulose is dissolved using ecologically sustainable solvents instead of solvents in current use, which cause a burden on the environment. The resulting films can be used as such or as coatings for paper or paperboard, for example.
The researchers are also studying the recyclability and the functional properties of this new type of film material. A bio-based coating will improve the recyclability of paperboard packagings, allowing the entire packaging to be sorted as paperboard. The new cellulose-based coating material will meet the requirements for the move towards circular economy and improving the quality of the environment, as set in the current EU directives on packagings and waste.
VTT is in charge of studying and developing the properties of the new cellulose film, while the LUT University will test the use of the new material in a range of packagings. VTT and the LUT packaging technology laboratory are leaders in the research on fibre- and bio-based packaging solutions.
The research project also brings together numerous companies from Finland and abroad, including industrial companies. The outcomes of the project will allow them to develop their own products to meet future needs. The project also aims at promoting international cooperation in the sector and at encouraging companies to locate some of their business in Finland.