Company insight
On the road to carbon neutrality
Finnish packaging powerhouse Wipak is charging towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2025, with its sustainable product range holding the key to its progressive, transformative future. Mikko Meriluoto, the man in charge of driving the portfolio, tells us more.
t the turn of the 20th century, concepts such as ‘sustainability’ and ‘circular economy’ were many years away from entering the consciousness of society. Fast forward to the present day and the packaging industry, and pioneering stalwart Wipak, has come a long way. With an extensive history in Finland, parent company Wihuri commenced packaging operations in 1967 by acquiring a Finnish plastics producer. Wipak’s Nastola plant in Finland began operations shortly after this. Today, Wipak produces and distributes a range of innovative packaging solutions to customers all over the world, with offices spread across Europe and Asia.
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“Having been in the business for a long time, our mission is to play a leading part in the battle against plastic pollution and climate change,” says Mikko Meriluoto, product manager of sustainable products. “Being heavily involved in the food
sector, our products help reduce food waste, which is the most efficient way to reduce carbon emissions. Two years ago, we made a pledge to become the world’s most sustainable packaging company – our promise is to be carbon neutral by 2025.”
The three Rs
Central to this is Meriluoto’s role in driving the commercialisation of Wipak’s ever-evolving and growing sustainable product portfolio. He knows all too well that the sustainability of plastic packaging is, first and foremost, raw material selection. This goes alongside resource efficiency, development of new alternative raw materials and recyclable solutions for a circular economy, as well as considering the life-cycle impact of the packaging. This is reflected in the different categories of Wipak’s sustainable products:
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Reduced material: By selecting the most appropriate combination of raw materials and production technologies, Wipak develops films that provides the best possible packaging solution – material reduction never goes out of fashion.
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Recyclable material: Aligned with the EU Plastics Strategy and the Packaging Waste Directive – which targets 55% of plastic packaging to be recycled by 2030 – Wipak offers a full range of recyclable PE or PP monomaterial films for flow pack and lidding, as well as formable films for vacuum and MAP applications.
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Renewable material: Wipak constantly strives to introduce alternatives to crude oil-based materials, and is developing a range of recyclable solutions based on sustainable renewable feedstocks such as crude tall oil, a residual product from the pulp industry. Wipak mainly operates in the food sector, and is an especially important player in the protein markets, such as meat, sausages, cold cuts, fish and cheese packaging. It is a business that is continually seeking out the next game-changing innovation.
Since early 2019, Wipak has been in partnership with Woodly, which, as Meriluoto explains, is developing a wood- based biomaterial that Wipak will convert into a final packaging solution for food applications. In its first commercial application, it is being produced for food manufacturer HKScan, which says it will allow it to halve its CO2
emissions versus
using traditional plastic packaging. This collaboration, in Meriluoto’s eyes, encapsulates Wipak’s point of difference, and helps to explain how it has emerged as a sustainable packaging pioneer. “We are able to draw on decades of experience in multilayer solutions,” he
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says. “These are complex innovations that we are able to implement at speed, all the while making sure that the fundamental functionality of the product is not compromised.”
Road ahead is clean
Such agility will be vital to hitting Wipak’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2025. Asked how the company aims to reach this target, Meriluoto outlines several strands of the strategy that, in combination, will deliver a major sustainable impact. “Our plant in Nastola is already ISCC PLUS-certified, which is the benchmark of sustainable certification in our industry,” he explains. “We plan to roll this out across the network of Wipak sites, and will be offering more and more products based on sustainable renewable raw materials. “Wipak is also investing aggressively towards a more sustainable future. As an example, a recently announced multimillion-pound investment at Wipak UK in state-of-the-art conversion equipment is set to significantly enhance its capabilities and boost sustainable product offerings. “Another exciting development, though still in its early stages, is the concept of chemical recycling. In a few years, the scaling up of this technology will make it possible to use recycled plastics for food packaging. It will be a game changer towards a truly circular economy.” Wipak is also looking to diversify further and make a greater difference in non-food categories. The company sees tremendous potential for more sustainable packaging in the likes of personal care, nutrition and industrial applications. With so much to look ahead to, the message, for now at least, is to watch this space. ●
www.wipak.com 31
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