The global furniture retailer XXXLutz Group is taking pioneering steps towards the goal of climate neutrality and sustainability.
Teaming up with Stora Enso they are exploring game-changing alternatives to conventional packaging materials: Papira® and Fibrease® by Stora Enso.
The collaboration is a milestone in the quest for eco-conscious packaging solutions and is a part of Stora Enso´s strategy to partner up with market leaders. By substituting traditional polymeric foams with lightweight wood-based alternatives, significant reductions in CO₂ emissions are possible. Similar to other used materials, like paper and cardboard, the foam materials are recyclable and can be disposed with paper and thus returned to the cycle.
“These characteristics alone are reason enough to be even more motivated to start the testing phase. This affects packaging for our entire product range – from dinner plates to cabinets,” emphasises Sascha Matzner, the XXXLutz Group’s head of ESG. ”All of us, retailers as well as manufacturers, are aware of the climate change issue and the heavy burden future generations will have to shoulder under current projections.”
“Fibrease and Papira are the result of years of relentless research by a dedicated team. We believe that our renewable resource, the forest, is the solution to many of the environmental challenges facing us today. Producing a sustainable and recyclable packaging foam is a giant leap towards a greener future. Many industries today look towards lowering the CO2 footprint and Stora Enso´s dedication to innovation provides tangible solutions to this issue for companies and consumers alike”, says Ivan Christensen, Business Development Manager Biofoams.
The journey towards climate-friendly packaging is marked by collaboration, innovation, and a resolute commitment to a sustainable future. Stora Enso and XXXLutz Group's collaboration heralds a promising era of eco-conscious practices in the furniture industry, setting the stage for widespread adoption of renewable and recyclable materials.
Fibrease® by Stora Enso is a lightweight wood fiber composite foam made of wood from sustainably managed forests. It is flexible and has great damping and insulation capacity, whilst being recyclable in paper and board streams according to PTS assessment. The material is designed to replace PU foams in packaging solutions and is an excellent substitute to EPS in cold chain management.
Papira® by Stora Enso is a bio-based and biodegradable* foam made from wood sourced from sustainably managed forests. It is fully recyclable** in regular paper and board streams, making it an ideal choice for protective packaging applications. Papira is highly shock absorbing, providing excellent protection for fragile and high value products. The lightweight and rigid foam can replace EPS and PE foams.
*The biodegradation and disintegration of Papira under screening home composting conditions has been tested by Normec OWS.
**Recyclable according to CEPI recyclability laboratory test method Version 2, score result 100/100
Part of the global bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable products in packaging, biomaterials and wooden construction, and one of the largest private forest owners in the world. We believe that everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow. Stora Enso has approximately 21,000 employees and our sales in 2022 were EUR 11.7 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Oy (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm AB (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs and Ordinary Shares (SEOAY, SEOFF, SEOJF).
Source: Stora Enso
