The New Wood competition 2025: Fibre-based packaging replaces plastics in single-packed hygiene products
Uusi puu – The New Wood Project shows what wood can do. The project promotes wood-based innovations and provides information about them.
The Paptic®material based on wood fibre replaces plastics in packagings of daily hygiene products without changes to production lines.
Packagings of hygiene products are usually made of plastics, even though the material is often not easily recycled and is obviously harmful to the environment.
In recent years, concern over the waste from plastics, microplastics and the use of fossil raw materials has caused both consumers and regulators to demand alternatives. This is also the case with products of daily hygiene, the packagings of which are expected to be both hygienic, inconspicuous and easy to use.
The Paptic® material is based on wood fibre and was developed to respond to the problem with hygienic packagings, more especially, to replace plastics in single packagings of hygiene products, such as the wrappings of menstrual and incontinence pads.
The renewable wood fibre used for the Paptic® material comes from FSC-certified forests, and it is easy to recycle as paperboard. It is pleasant to the touch and does not cause a loud rustle, both of which are essential features for packagings of personal hygiene products.
According to Paptic Oy, packagings made of the company’s material are easy to individualize according to brand requirements. The material can be taken into use without substantial investments in production, as it can be processed using existing packaging lines. This makes it an interesting option for manufacturers looking for more responsible options without significant production-related risks.
Based on wood fibres, this non-toxic and recyclable packaging material supports the transfer to circular economy and materials-efficient bioeconomy.
According to Paptic Oy, consumer attitudes also support the change: a consumer survey conducted in the spring of 2025 showed that for many, the environmental sustainability of packagings is a crucial factor when choosing hygiene products.
Forest.fi and New Wood are initiatives of the Finnish Forest Association.