Stora Enso offsets raw material emissions for carbon-neutral premium cartonboard offering
28 Oct 2021 --- Stora Enso is introducing a carbon-neutral cartonboard in what it says is a market first. Performa Light CarbonZero is renewable and recyclable, enabling customers to demonstrate concrete and measurable action against climate change through their packaging.
The folding boxboard is produced at Stora Enso’s Fors site in Sweden, where production runs on fossil carbon emission-free electricity and steam production. Moreover, from 2022, internal logistics will also be fossil carbon emission-free due to continuous work and investments in operational improvements.
Offsetting raw material emissions
The production is already “very low” on greenhouse gas emissions. However, to make Performa Light CarbonZero carbon-neutral, the currently “unavoidable” emissions originating from raw material production are compensated with a well-established offsetting service provided by external partner South Pole.
“Stora Enso has science-based climate targets in place to drive down both its direct greenhouse gas emissions and value chain emissions over time. Our priority is always to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our operations and value chain as much as we can,” Elina Huopio product manager at Stora Enso’s packaging materials division, tells PackagingInsights.
“However, to be able to offer customers and brand owners carbon-neutral products, we offset currently unavoidable fossil emissions – emissions we cannot currently eliminate in the production and value chain of those products.”
“Our goal is to eventually offer carbon-neutral products without offsetting, by further reducing carbon emissions in our value chain or potentially insetting unavoidable emissions.”
Progressing environmental targets
Stora Enso has goals to become 100% circular, net biodiversity positive and net carbon positive by 2050. The Finnish renewable packaging company indicates it is already “ambitiously reducing” greenhouse gas emissions from its operations and value chain.
Stora Enso’s FiberLight Tec – a patented fiber treatment technology –ensures the product is lightweight without compromising strength.Meanwhile, the share of fossil fuels in the group’s overall energy consumption is low, making the transition toward carbon-neutral material possible.
“Since [environmental] sustainability is more and more a deciding factor in consumer purchases, we expect the demand for carbon-neutral products to grow in the future,” says Dmitry Panfilov, VP, head of business line FBB and SBS at Stora Enso.
“Carbon-neutral Performa Light CarbonZero will help our customers to have a smaller climate impact and differentiate on the market through their packaging.”
Innova Market Insights identified “Shared Planet” as its leading consumer trend for 2022, focusing on how both industry and consumers can play their part in shaping an environmentally sustainable future. The market researcher indicates consumers now rank planetary health as their number one concern, overtaking personal health, which has been the top priority in recent years.
Meanwhile, Getty Images identified climate change as the top public issue in 26 countries – above even COVID-19 – using its creative insights platform Visual GPS.
Differentiated folding boxes
Performa Light CarbonZero can be used to create folding cartons for chocolate and confectionery, cosmetics and beauty care, healthcare and other premium packaging.
“Performa Light CarbonZero has excellent smoothness and high whiteness, which contribute to superior print results and enhance premium brand perception,” notes Huopio.
Furthermore, Stora Enso employs its FiberLight Tec – a patented fiber treatment technology – to ensure the product is lightweight without compromising strength.
In September, Stora Enso announced it is restructuring its business due to a global decline in the paper market, increasing its focus on packaging and biomaterial innovation.
The company’s recent solutions include a low-carbon material for microwavable ready meal trays. It is also partnering with Tetra Pak on a complete recycling solution for beverage cartons in Poland.
By Joshua Poole
