Walki is answering to the growing demand for frozen food by expanding its portfolio of recyclable materials.

The global market for frozen food is expected to grow to 322 billion euros by 2026. Although the demand is growing globally across all age groups, it is especially popular among younger consumers.

• Walki®EVO Seal and Walki®Opti Seal are recyclable paper-based packaging intended especially for pillow-pouches for frozen food.
• Lamibel®MDO-PE is a film-based material for pillow pouches made of reverse printed MDO-film and solvent-free laminated with low sealing LDPE.
• Walki®Pack Tray is a board-based tray suitable for frozen ready-made meals, designed to replace aluminium, plastic or plastic-coated trays.

The global market for frozen food is expected to grow to 322 billion euros by 2026. Although the demand is growing globally across all age groups, it is especially popular among younger consumers.

"Frozen food is an ideal way to prolong shelf life without losing out on the vitamins. It is also an excellent way to combat food waste. This is important as up to 9 % of global carbon emissions can be attributed to food waste, especially fruit and vegetables", says Dudley Jones, Consumer Sales at Walki.

Walki is introducing a broad portfolio of different materials, including printed solutions, to suit the needs of the frozen food market with the aim of making the packaging fully recyclable in the paper stream.

"Frozen food places high demands on the packaging. It needs to be both sturdy and puncture-resistant to handle diverse situations like pressures of sealing and mechanical tear during transportation. The packaging also needs to withstand variability in temperatures as some frozen food is defrosted in its packaging", explains Jones.

Walki®EVO Seal and Walki®Opti Seal are recyclable paper-based packaging intended especially for pillow pouches for frozen food. Walki®EVO Seal has a dispersion coating as a barrier against water vapour and grease while Walki®Opti Seal has an optimised PE-extrusion coating.

"The dispersion coating makes Walki®EVO Seal recyclable in the waste-paper stream without any separation process, while the minimised PE-coating on Walki®Opti Seal makes it suitable to be recycled with paper with an acceptable fibre yield", says Andreas Rothschink, Head of Product Development at Walki.

Both are suitable for all kinds of frozen food: vegetables, seafood, and bakery products to name a few.

Lamibel®MDO-PE is a film-based material for pillow pouches made of reverse printed MDO-film and solvent-free laminated with low sealing LDPE. Thanks to the MDO technology, the film thickness is minimized while performance is maximized by replacing other sorts of materials such as PP- or PET-films.

"This combination of two PE-films makes the packaging fully recyclable in the plastics stream. The stretched film has better optics with high stiffness and mechanical properties than standard PE. The film can also be transparent, allowing the consumer to see the product", says Rothschink.

Lamibel®MDO-PE is an ideal material for all types of packaging (doypack, flowpack, pouches, etc.) as well as all kinds of frozen food like vegetables, sharp-edges seafood and bakery.

Walki®Pack Tray is a board-based tray suitable for frozen ready-made meals, designed to replace aluminium, plastic or plastic-coated trays.

"The tray is easy to fill, transport and store, and is also the convenient choice for the consumer as the fibre-based tray is safe to use in microwaves and in conventional ovens up to 220 degrees for up to 60 minutes," says Jones.

The tray material is 100% PET free and recyclable in the paper stream.

Company Profile Walki

At Walki, we believe in a sustainable and circular tomorrow. Our mission is to accelerate the world’s transition into a zero-waste future in packaging and promote the use of energy-efficient materials across industries. Walki’s product solutions are designed to bring value to customers in many different markets; from sustainable materials for packaging applications to energy-saving performance materials.

Walki is a growing international group organized in three business areas: Consumer Packaging, Industrial Packaging and Engineered Materials, with operations in twelve different countries, both in Europe and Asia.

At iT’s Tissue 2022, Körber Business Area Tissue unveils a further evolution: Warm-up Contactless Double.

The traditional systems for heating embossing rolls using piping with hot oil or pressurized water, or with heating elements, use up large amounts of energy, have high heat dissipation and are underperforming.

Andrea Gambini, Global Research & Development Director of Körber Business Area Tissue"The heating systems used so far in production," comments Eng. Andrea Gambini, Global Research & Development Director of Körber Business Area Tissue, "are now too underperforming: heating the embossing roll by means of a hot liquid flowing inside it requires a high use of energy, as does trying to heat it with a heating system with resistors.  Oil systems require dedicated facilities to heat and recirculate large masses of oil, greatly impacting the environment and creating unsustainable conditions. In addition, these factors contribute to lower overall equipment efficiency (OEE)."

The tissue market is constantly evolving," says Eng. Gambini, "and with it comes the need to offer more effective, efficient, sustainable and user-friendly solutions. Safety, simplicity, flexibility and efficiency: are the cornerstones on which the Warm-up Contactless Double system is likewise based. It will be presented at iT's Tissue 2022 on the in-phase DESL (Double Embosser Synchronizer Lamination) product and it will be possible to have a tangible example of how it works and how easy it is to integrate into the new 456AX embosser to achieve maximum production efficiency. And now that induction heating is finally doubled, all the benefits are also doubled.

"Our patented Warm-up Contactless system," says Eng. Gambini, "heats the embossing rolls from the outside without any physical contact with the rolls themselves and reduces heating times by 1/3, resulting in energy savings of more than 60%. This system can be used with any existing engraved rolls and is designed not to interfere with the operator's work." These features combine to show how state-of-the-art is the Warm-up Contactless system and demonstrate how Körber Business Area Tissue cares about sustainability.

"Building on our experience in the tissue industry, with the desire to innovate by offering our customers more innovative technological solutions, our R&D centre has further advanced Warm-up Contactless by expanding our product portfolio with the double embossing system, which retains all the advantages of the solution already on the market, and allows it to be used in the production of kitchen towels as well," concludes Eng. Gambini.

Körber Business Area Tissue

At Körber, our ultimate goal is to empower our customers’ ongoing success. We are the only truly integrated and global provider of advanced solutions for the tissue business. We offer the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of tissue technology to support customers across the entire value chain — from roll to fold, from converting to packaging. Our advanced, automated, and easy-to-use integrated solutions are a fundamental asset to shape the success in tissue, take our customer's operations to the next level, and strengthen their overall financial performance while optimizing their total cost of ownership.

About Körber

We are Körber – an international technology group with about 10,000 employees, more than 100 locations worldwide and a common goal: We turn entrepreneurial thinking into customer success and shape technological change. In the Business Areas of Digital, Pharma, Supply Chain, Tissue and Tobacco, we offer products, solutions and services that inspire. We act fast to customer needs, we execute ideas seamlessly, and with our innovations, we create added value for our customers. In doing so, we are increasingly building on ecosystems that solve the challenges of today and tomorrow. Körber AG is the holding company of the Körber Group.

Responding to our customers’ needs, we have developed additional features for the AHSTAR A pump series, and new options are also now available for demanding industries.

In the new ASTM A395 60-40-18 construction, the volute case and case cover of the pump are made of ductile iron. AHLSTAR A pumps in ductile iron have a maximum working pressure of 16 bars, with a temperature limit of 180°C.

Furthermore, a heating jacket option is available. The concept consists of a heating jacket and a jacketed case cover. The heating jacket is easy to install and maintain, providing evenly distributed heating across the entire pump. The solution is cost-effective because a standard AHLSTAR A pump can be used, and the same spare parts as for other AHLSTAR A pumps in the mill will fit. Proper temperature of the pumped liquid prevents undesired sedimentation, crystal growth, or solidification of the fluid handled.

Moreover, a case cover with internal recirculation has been developed for AHLSTAR pumps. In this design, an internal recirculation flushing fluid channel is integrated inside the case cover, enabling seal flushing without external piping.

Along with the new features, our AHLSTAR pumps have been assigned the Food Contact Materials Certificate (EC) 1935/2004. Food contact materials (FCMs) are widely used in food transfer equipment, packaging, etc. AHLSTAR pumps compliant with this regulation are the ideal solution for various food and beverage applications, from raw material production to processing and packaging.

Read more about the AHLSTAR A peak performance process pumps and their new features in our brochure. Learn more about the smart, cost-competitive and safe heating jacket in our flyer.

About Sulzer

Sulzer is a global leader in fluid engineering. We specialize in pumping, agitation, mixing, separation and purification technologies for fluids of all types. Our customers benefit from our commitment to innovation, performance and quality and from our responsive network of 180 world-class production facilities and service centres across the globe. Sulzer has been headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, since 1834. In 2021, our 13’800 employees delivered revenues of CHF 3.2 billion. Our shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: SUN). The Flow Equipment division specializes in pumping solutions specifically engineered for the processes of our customers. We provide pumps, agitators, compressors, grinders and screens developed through intensive research and development in fluid dynamics and advanced materials. We are a market leader in pumping solutions for water, oil and gas, power, chemicals and most industrial segments.

www.sulzer.com

Valmet launches Valmet Mobile Maintenance (VMM) to make maintenance data available at any time and to create smoother workflows in mill maintenance operations. VMM is a mobile application for both iOS and Android devices.

The application is designed to streamline the maintenance personnel’s and production operators’ work. They can save time and improve work efficiency by creating fault notifications and reviewing work orders on the go.

“We noticed that maintenance personnel and production operators spent a lot of time in front of the computer with complicated systems, making fault notifications from their own notes on paper. Their time was not efficiently spent,” says Timo Harjunpää, Director, Maintenance Development and Outsourcing Services, Valmet.

“The application allows the personnel to work through their mobile phones in real-time anywhere at the mill. It makes all information available to the whole team at once, saves unnecessary work, and gives the management a better overview and control,” says Hemmo Lahtinen, Reliability Manager, Services, Valmet.

Quick, easy, and safe to implement

Equipment identification is easily done via Near Field Communication (NFC) or QR codes. The VMM application uses the same Valmet Cloud platform as all Valmet Industrial Internet applications and has an integration package for SAP, which makes it easy to implement. The application implementation can be done 100% remotely.

The VMM application can be used on both Wi-Fi and mobile data networks. Only relevant data is transferred. The technical solution meets industrial cybersecurity standards, follows all best practices and guidelines and is audited by an external accredited cybersecurity service provider.

The application is part of Valmet’s maintenance development and outsourcing services allowing customers to focus on their core business.

More information: Mobile Maintenance application

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. With our automation systems and flow control solutions we serve an even wider base of process industries. 

We aim to become the global champion in serving our customers. Our 17,000 professionals work close to our customers and are committed to improving our customers’ performance – every day.

The company has over 220 years of industrial history and a strong track record in continuous improvement and renewal. In 2022, a major milestone was achieved when the flow control company Neles was merged into Valmet. The combined company’s net sales in 2021 were approximately EUR 4.5 billion based on the respective company figures. 

Valmet’s shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and the head office is in Espoo, Finland.     

Follow us on valmet.com

Sun Paper, in close collaboration with ABB, has successfully launched another pulp mill, at the new Beihai location in Guangxi, China. ABB has installed three sets of its flagship distributed control system (DCS) ABB Ability^™ System 800xA®, two sets of mechanical pulp drive systems, four refiner motors and auxiliary high-voltage cabinets, and over 30 high and low-voltage motors.

• Implementation of ABB Ability^™ System 800xA® distributed control system (DCS) at Sun Paper’s new pulp mill to drive operational accessibility
• Combined pulp production lines at the new Beihai mill represent the largest pulp production capacity among comparable lines in the global market
• The latest contract marks ABB’s 15th DCS implementation over a 20-year relationship with Sun Paper

The Beihai mill currently produces 600,000 tons of bleached mechanical pulp (APMP line and BCTMP line) and 800,000 tons of bleached pulp (BKP). The combined daily production capacity across the three lines reaches up to 4,200 air-dried tons and currently represents the largest pulp production capacity among comparable lines in the global market.

In addition to DCS implementation, the mill will integrate ABB’s Relion® 615 protection and control series of relays with the 800xA for both the APMP and BCTMP mechanical pulp production lines, together with Load Commuted Inverter (LCI) drives solution. This will enable soft starting for multi-motor connections, significantly reducing the start and stopping impact of the refiner motors on the power grid to ensure production safety and stability.

ABB was able to meet Sun Paper’s objective to strengthen the interconnection between the DCS and laboratory data and gain access to the status monitoring of the refiner motor system. This achieved system-wide centralized information management, helping managers understand on-site conditions in real-time to support their pulp production decisions. They can also manage remote operations and configurations using mobile devices such as tablets and phones, which improves the collaboration and convenience of the system. This advanced setup of the DCS safeguards production stability and lays a solid foundation for future expansion and other digital solutions.

“We have chosen ABB’s solutions over others for years because we greatly value their outstanding product quality and engineering services,” said Mr Ying Guangdong, deputy general manager and chief engineer of Shandong Sun Paper Industry Joint Stock Co. Ltd. “As for the pulp project at the Beihai Mill, the ABB team has consistently demonstrated their excellent project execution and collaborative strengths, ensuring the smooth start-up of our new production line.”

“ABB has been working closely with Sun Paper for over two decades now and this latest strategic cooperation at their new Beihai mill further strengthens our collaboration,” said Mr YueMing Liu, ABB Pulp and Paper Industry lead, North Asia and China. “Our advanced automation, electrification and digital solutions are supporting Sun Paper in their digital transformation and sustainable development journey.”

During their 20+ year collaboration, ABB has provided 15 DCSs to Sun Paper, safeguarding unparalleled system connectivity, as well as a collaborative, real-time decision-making environment for its paper production lines and pulp mills. This latest project follows the recent completion of four pulp production line projects at Sun Paper’s Shandong production base.

 The operations at Metsä Group’s and Valmet’s 3D fibre product demo plant in Äänekoski has begun. At the end of 2020, Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring and Valmet announced they would be investing a total of approximately 20 million euros in the demo plant.

The demo plant is part of Metsä Group’s integrated mill site in Äänekoski, and it produces finished 3D fibre packaging products directly from wet pulp without intermediate phases. The moulded fibre-based packaging can replace plastic for example in food packaging. The demo plant currently employs approximately ten people.

“Our fibre-based packaging products are a significant new initiative in the global packaging market. The novelty in our products include their layered structure, which, in turn, allows their production in a raw material and energy efficient manner applying a highly automated production process. The layered structure also allows the products to be easily modified for different purposes. The customers’ reception of the new product has been very positive. We know we’re on the right path,” says Metsä Group’s project lead, VP, Jarkko Tuominen.

3D fibre product

“We are very satisfied with our cooperation with Metsä, and we think the mould casting technology is an excellent prospect as a future packaging solution. This is a good example of Valmet’s capacity for developing new technology, and I’m especially proud of how we’ve been able to make use of our broad process expertise in this project,” says Petri Rasinmäki, VP, Board and Paper Mills Business Unit at Valmet.

The demo plant has started a testing and development phase that will last a few years. The goal of this phase is to prove the competitiveness of the production and of the product in the packaging market. If this goal is achieved, it will be possible to consider building a larger production unit.

The 3D fibre product is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, and its raw material comes from sustainably managed forests, which are primarily owned by Finnish families. Metsä Group is actively developing new business opportunities and researching new wood-based products that can increase the value of its owner-members’ forests. Moreover, the Äänekoski site is also the home of another demo plant, namely a facility developing a process for the production of the Kuura textile fibre.

Pictures of 3D fibre products and demo plant

Metsä Spring
www.metsaspring.com

Innovation company Metsä Spring invests expertise and financial resources into initiatives with the ambition to reshape the forest-based bioeconomy, aiming to increase the value for Metsä Group’s stakeholders in the long-term.

Metsä Group
www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group is leading the way in advancing the bioeconomy. We invest in growth, bioproduct development and a fossil free future. The raw material for our products is renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. We focus on the growth sectors of the forest industry: wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards, as well as tissue and greaseproof papers.

Metsä Group’s annual sales amount to approximately EUR 6 billion, and we have around 9,500 employees in 30 countries. Our international Group has its roots in the Finnish forests: our parent company is Metsäliitto Cooperative which is owned by nearly 100,000 forest owners. 

Vafos Pulp, a Norwegian producer of unbleached pulp for cardboard manufacturing, will switch its energy-intensive drying process from oil to electricity, greatly reducing the plant’s carbon emissions. The company will replace a nine megawatt (MW) oil-fired boiler with electric heaters, controlled by ABB technology.

• Norwegian pulp plant replaces oil with electricity to eliminate 14,000 tons of CO₂ emissions annually
• ABB power controllers provide precise control of the new air heaters while minimizing their impact on the grid
• Decarbonization effort equivalent to taking 7,000 cars off the road

The Kragerø pulp plant, which produces 80,000 tons of pulp each year, will eliminate 14,000 tons of CO₂ annually from Summer 2022.  That is the equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 7,000 combustion-engine cars. 

The new air heaters require a significant amount of power and managing them is key to maintaining plant safety, operating efficiently, and minimized downtime. They are controlled by ten ABB DCT880 power controllers to manage the power supplied to the electrical heating elements.

The controllers are mounted in containers and utilize a Power Optimizer feature to create a steady load that minimizes disruption for the local electricity grid. The integration of the systems was a joint effort by ABB and Norwegian system integrators EAS and Actemium Electro.

The DCT880 power controllers are a long-lifetime product and contain the latest control technology and interfaces. This will enable the Kragerø plant operators to control the drying process more precisely than when they used oil. The switch to electricity also means that the facility no longer needs oil storage on site.

“The age of burning heavy oil in Norway is over,” says Roar Paulsrud, CEO of Vafos Pulp. “Customers expect us to be part of the green transition with sustainable production. It is also important that our industry helps reduce emissions here in Norway.”

“The project in Kragerø is a great example of how organizations can decarbonize by using modern electric alternatives,” says Lars-Fredrik Mathiesen, head of ABB Motion in Norway. “As Norway’s grid is being almost entirely powered by renewable energy, moves like this one by Vafos Pulp lead the way for others in industry, and will be key to achieving the government’s goal of cutting CO₂ emissions in half by 2030.”

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com 

ABB Motion keeps the world turning - while saving energy every day. We innovate and push the boundaries of technology to enable the low-carbon future for customers, industries and societies. With our digitally enabled drives, motors and services our customers and partners achieve better performance, safety and reliability. We offer a combination of domain expertise and technology to deliver the optimum drive and motor solution for a wide range of applications in all industrial segments. Through our global presence we are always close to serve our customers. Building on over 130 years of cumulative experience in electric powertrains, we learn and improve every day.

The results are clear: Just a few months after Voith's comprehensive digitalization solutions were commissioned at PM 9 in El Burgo, Saica Group's investment in the Papermaking 4.0 package has already paid off. The Spanish paper manufacturer produces around 430,000 tons of paper per year at the facility, located around 25 kilometers from Zaragoza. At the end of 2020, the company decided to digitalize production. After a thoroughly positive experience with the digitalization of PM 4 in Venizel, France, Voith was awarded the contract to implement the project for PM 9, which includes OnCumulus applications and the two solution packages OnView.MassBalance and OnEfficiency.Strength.

• Comprehensive Papermaking 4.0 package for PM 9 in El Burgo
• OnCumulus, OnView.MassBalance and OnEfficiency.Strength enable significant resource savings
• Saica plans to expand its digitalization strategy

"Voith has been a great partner along the digitalization journey in our mills," says Fernando Carroquino, Industrial Director at Saica Group. "Our perception of Voith Paper as one of the main digital solutions provider is reaffirmed every day, and we are very glad with the cooperation with Voith over the last years. We have the full commitment of both companies, which makes us look forward to the next successful cases."

The main goal of OnEfficiency.Strength on a paper machine for container board is to reduce the consumption of starch without negatively affecting the strength properties of the paper. The solution uses virtual sensors as a basis on which innovative advanced process control is built. OnEfficiency.Strength has already proven a high benefit in several references and significantly reduced the product cost. At PM 9, too, the high potential of digitalization became apparent shortly after commissioning.

Fernando Vicente, Production Manager at PM 9 El Burgo, says: "Although the plant has been continuously optimized in recent years, we have now been able to significantly reduce our starch usage in the first few weeks with the help of OnEfficiency.Strength. The tool is very easy to use, and the operators are very motivated to integrate it into their daily work. We are confident that, in the future, savings can be increased even further. Now it is much easier to sustainably achieve the targeted quality at the lowest possible cost."

OnView.MassBalance starts at an earlier point in paper production. The app's data maps the current stock flows in a diagram and depicts deviations from the standard. As soon as a defined threshold is exceeded, the application automatically highlights the relevant area in the diagram and recommends suitable courses of action to avoid fiber losses. In this way, OnView.MassBalance leads to targeted process optimization in stock preparation and provides the operating team with all relevant information if a different process setting is required. Both applications are integrated on Voith's OnCumulus platform. The platform provides users with an overview of all important process parameters, includes several industry-specific applications and also acts as a reliable and secure data repository. Building on the initial positive results, regular meetings are held between the Saica and Voith teams to jointly discuss progress, results and schedules. The goal is to further push the optimization of the system.

Juan Luis Mendoza, Digital Process Officer at Saica, explains how the new solutions have already opened up a whole new perspective: "The integration of OnEfficiency.Strength into the existing automation technology of PM 9 was seamless. This is now reflected in our very positive results. The digital tools support us in achieving our ambitious targets in an intelligent way." For Mendoza, there is no doubt that the company will also implement Voith's Papermaking 4.0 solution on other machines in the coming years.

From Voith’s perspective as the technology partner, the balance of the project is thoroughly positive: "The solution we offered has proven itself and leads to resource important savings with qualitatively consistent results," sums up Renan Fusco, Head of Digital Solutions Sales at Voith Paper. "Voith has clearly positioned itself as a reliable partner on the path to digitalization. This confirms our commitment to continuously advance our products in order to continue to be an innovation driver in paper production."

About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 20,000 employees, sales of € 4.3 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services and products on the market and offers paper manufacturers holistic solutions from a single source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations facilitates resource-conserving production and helps customers minimize their carbon footprint. With its leading automation products and digitalization solutions from the Papermaking 4.0 portfolio, Voith offers its customers state-of-the-art digital technologies to improve plant availability and efficiency for all sections of the production process.

The international PulPaper 2022 event for the forest industry will be organised from Tuesday to Thursday, 7 – 9 June 2022 at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. The event consists of an exhibition with about 250 participating companies and programme entirely in English. The programme is presented at Future Square on the exhibition area and the event has two paid seminars, the PulPaper Conference and Green Economy Business Summit. The event also offers a multitude of networking opportunities.

The PulPaper event was previously held at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre in the spring of 2018. Virtual pre-PulPaper was held in 2021 as an online event. Now, after four years, it’s possible to meet once again at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. In connection with the event, an afterwork event will be organised on opening day June 7 on the event area and an evening event on June 8 at Helsinki Music Centre. The PulPaper Award, funded by the Finnish Fair Foundation, will be presented to a Start-up company at the evening event.

Seven companies participate in the Start-up competition

The first stage of the Start-up competition will take place 10.00 AM on Wednesday June 8 at Future Square, while the final will take place at 2.15 PM. The winner will be announced at the evening event. Participants in the first stage are Dry and Durable, Fincet, Montinutra, Natural Antivirals, Silva Trace, Tapio Measurement Technologies and Woodio. The competition brings forth new and significant solutions in the field of forest bioeconomy.

Dry and Durable has developed a water and dirt repellent plastic-free barrier material for packaging. Fincet’s product Tool4pro is an easy-to-use application for industrial work and project management. Montinutra uses sawdust as raw material in the preparation of Sprucegum™ extract for use in the cosmetics, techno chemical and even food industries. Natural Antivirals’ innovation is an antiviral ingredient from Finnish forests used in cosmetics. The user interface developed by Silva Trace shows the logging method, carbon footprint, certificates and other sustainability information that the forest owner wants to share. Tapio Measurement Technologies has developed hardware independent PapEye CloudQCS – SaaS platform for analysis of image and measurement data files. Woodio’s eco-design products are made from a fully water-resistant wood composite designed as an ecological alternative to ceramics and stone materials. The winner will be rewarded with a cash prize of EUR 5,000 funded by the Finnish Fair Foundation.

Top presentations at Future Square, programme free of charge for visitors

The opening speech of PulPaper will be given by Professor Ilkka Kilpeläinen from the University of Helsinki, winner of the Marcus Wallenberg  Prize in 2022. He will speak about the possibilities of wood-based textiles. There will be company presentations on the stage of the event area. The programme is produced by, among others, the forest industry companies Metsä Group, Sappi, Stora Enso and UPM.

The keynote speech on consumer trends, The ”great man” is a little man looking at the good map, will be presented by Professor Mika Pantzar from the University of Helsinki on opening day June 7. New Wood project’s award ceremony will be held on opening day, when it will be announced which wood-based product or service has received the most votes from the public.

Wednesday June 8 introduces the panel discussion From residue to revenue – innovations and solutions from forest and biobased industry. Participants in the discussion are Director Marko Janhunen/Public Affairs UPM, Head of Innovation Åsa Ek/Biomaterials Stora Enso, Director Sarah Price/Sustainability, Sappi Europe and Managing Director Ismo Nousiainen/Metsä Fibre. The panel is facilitated by CEO Teija Konttori from Vision Hunters Oy.

On Thursday June 9, the keynote-speech Succeeding as a woman in a male-dominated industry will be given by motorsport athlete and Formula 1 commentator Emma Kimiläinen.

PulPaper Conference highlights six themes

The themes are IT and Automation, Environment and Sustainability, Safety and Risk Management, New Textile Products, Efficiency and Packaging Solutions. There will be three keynote speakers at the conference. EVP, Head of Division Packaging Materials Hannu Kasurinen from Stora Enso speaks about Key trends in sustainable packaging. The second keynote speech topic is Sustainability leading company strategy presented by EVP, Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs Riikka Joukio from Kesko. EVP, Head of Management Consulting Roland Lorenz from AFRY is the third keynote speaker with the topic Changes in consumer behavior following COVID pandemic. After the opening presentations, the conference will continue in two parallel sessions with three topical expert presentations on each of the six themes. Participation in the PulPaper Conference costs EUR 380 and tickets can be purchased at www.pulpaper.fi

Green Economy Business Summit for the first time

Aimed at business management and stakeholders, the Green Economy Business Summit opens up green economy from companies’ perspective. At the event there will be discussions about how to ensure adequate economic well-being while reducing the burden on the environment. The summit will be opened by Managing Director Mika Aalto of the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland. The main keynote speech Circular bioeconomy – a sustainable source of growth will be held by Jyrki Katainen, President of Sitra. The second keynote speech Chemicals industry, green transition and resilience for the EU economy will be held via video link by Thierry Breton EU Commissioner for the Internal Market. Kristin Schreiber Director, European Commission will be on site at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre to answers possible questions.

Participants in the panel discussion How to reach sustainability and climate neutrality at company level are President and CEO Ilkka Hämälä/Metsä Group Oyj, Managing Director Salla Roni-Poranen/Borealis Polymers Oy, EVP, Carbon Neutral Solutions Jussi Manninen/VTT and Home Care Chief R&D Officer Mike Parkington/Unilever. The panel will be facilitated by journalist Katri Makkonen. Green Economy Business Summit’s closing speech will be held by Director, Chief Economist Maarit Lindström from Finnish Forest Industries. Participation in the summit costs EUR 250 and tickets can be purchased beforehand at www.pulpaper.fi.

Messukeskus organises the PulPaper event in cooperation with The Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association 7 – 9June 2022. The event is open Wednesday and Thursday 7 – 8 June from 9 AM to 5 PM and Thursday 9 June from 9 AM to 4 PM. Professionals in the business can register to the event free of charge at www.pulpaper.fi.

ChemBio Finland and Helsinki Chemicals Forum for the chemical and biotechnology industry will be organised at the same time, 8 – 9 June 2022, at Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. Visitors registered for PulPaper can also visit the ChemBio Finland -event.

www.pulpaper.fi

Solenis, a leading global producer of specialty chemicals used in water-intensive industries, has released its 2021 Sustainability Report summarizing the company’s environmental stewardship, social responsibility and governance (ESG) initiatives for the previous fiscal year. The report is available for download at www.solenis.com/en/sustainabilityreport. It’s considered a progress update on company initiatives and baseline data that were first reported from 2020. 

The comprehensive Solenis sustainability report highlights the company’s progress toward environmental stewardship, social responsibility and governance (ESG) goals. “Our goal with the Solenis Sustainability Report is to continue providing transparency about our organization while setting targets and tracking the initiatives that keep us accountable along our sustainability journey,” said CEO John Panichella. 

The 2021 report is based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and has been externally validated by an independent certification agency. Important highlights include: 

• Revisions and prioritization of U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address gender equality, clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth, responsible consumption and production, climate action and partnerships for the goals, such as working with employees to address community needs where Solenis operates. 

• Recognition as a Platinum-rated company by EcoVadis, a leading rating agency in corporate social responsibility and sustainable procurement. The Platinum status indicates that Solenis scored in the Top 1% of chemical companies that were evaluated for sustainability management.  
• Key measures in the category of Well-being, Health and Safety of Our People showed 820 new hires. Globally, female employees make up 24% of the 5,300-employee workforce and 21% of executive leadership positions are held by women. In the U.S., racial/ethnic diversity makes up 37%. These measures are positive indicators that Solenis is focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and is empowering employees to participate in change and growth.   
• Health and safety metrics showed 30 work sites having lasted at least one year without a recordable injury, 11 sites were injury free for at least 5 years and 4 sites for at least 10 years. 
• Solenis launched several key Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in the past year, including a diverse pipeline and scholarship program and a women’s leadership sponsorship program. Others included an expansion of employee network groups and a celebration of International Women’s Day, Juneteenth and an International PRIDE event. An Allyship program was also introduced to support an inclusive work environment.  
• Solenis reported on targets and key performance indicators of its sustainability goals that include customer relationships, R&D innovation and digitalization. Each of these goals works as part of a broader initiative to address global issues such as water scarcity, deforestation and climate change.  

“We’re proud to continue showing progress across all of our sustainability efforts and also grateful to learn where we need further emphasis,” said Panichella. “With some of our strongest gains in the area of social performance, along with 820 new hires and a more diverse and more engaged workforce, we are confident we will make further strides toward our goals.” 

To read the 2021 Solenis Sustainability Report and to learn more about the company’s roadmap for sustainability, visit www.solenis.com/en/sustainability/sustainability-roadmap. 

About Solenis 
Solenis is a leading global producer of specialty chemicals, focused on delivering sustainable solutions for water-intensive industries, including the pulp, packaging paper and board, tissue and towel, oil and gas, petroleum refining, chemical processing, mining, biorefining, power, municipal, and pool and spa markets. The company’s product portfolio includes a broad array of water treatment chemistries, process aids and functional additives, as well as state-of-the-art monitoring and control systems. These technologies are used by customers to improve operational efficiencies, enhance product quality, protect plant assets, minimize environmental impact and maintain healthy water. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, the company has 47 manufacturing facilities strategically located around the globe and employs a team of over 6,000 professionals in 120 countries across five continents. Solenis is a 2022 US Best Managed Company. 

For additional information about Solenis, please visit solenis.com