The technology patented by the Finnish company Paptic enables the production of environmentally friendly fibre products that include many properties of plastic. The bags made of the material match with the target of the European union to decrease the use of plastic bags: 80 percent of the Paptic material is derived from renewable wood, it can be recycled with cardboard and it is compostable.
Paptic material combines many good properties of both paper and plastic. It is renewable, with versatile ways of use. It can be produced with similar methods as paper, which makes the production cost-effective.
Paptic is stronger than plastic, it is water-resistant, it feels good when touched and it can be folded – the Paptic bag, for example, can be folded into a very small size. And the bag is reusable.
Paptic material is printable and it is suitable for food packaging. The weight of the material varies from 30 to 150 grams per square metre, while thickness varies from 30 to 200 micrometres. It takes stretching better than paper, and at the same time keeps its shape better than plastic.
Finnish textile retailer chain Seppälä was the first one to take Paptic bags in use in its shops.
Europe uses hundred thousand million plastic bags annually, which makes 180 bags per capita. EU has as a target to reduce the amount to 90 in 2019 and to 40 in 2025.
Many countries encourage consumers towards the use of other kinds of bags. Paptic bag is a direct response to this demand.
Update 2.6.2020:
In December 2018, Paptic started the manufacturing of Paptic Tringa products with a collaboration partner. During 2019 the operation created a turnover of some half a million euros.
Major customers of Paptic Tringa in Finland include the Sokos and Stockmann department store chains: Sokos has introduced a Paptic carrier bag and Stockmann carrier bags and mailers for e-commerce.
Other customers include major French fashion houses and a manufacturer of tissue paper products. The first foods packed in Paptic will arrive in the shops later in 2020.
Working with the manufacturers, Paptic plans to bring its technology up to industrial scale. It plans to include the manufacturing of materials with increased resource efficiency and finding more solutions to replace plastic films.
