New wood packaging made with 70% recycled plastic

The new packaging is manufactured by Trioworld, one of Europe’s leading producers of packaging solutions based on cover film. Thanks to close collaboration with its customers, Trioworld is a pioneer in developing circular plastics.Having previously used up to 50 percent recycled material in its timber cover film, the company is now launching Loop70, which uses an impressive 70 per cent recycled material.

“It’s been a challenge and demanded a lot of hard work, but we have succeeded in increasing the percentage of recycled plastic while maintaining quality and strength. We have a number of different materials at our disposal when we develop a ‘recipe’ for packaging and, after intensive efforts, we have arrived at a blend that works excellently,” says Trioworld product specialist Tom Rautakorpi.

Major climate benefits

The high percentage of recycled material in the packaging offers significant climate benefits. It is anticipated that Loop70 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 per cent compared to the same product in virgin plastic.

“SCA is a climate-positive business and in 2023, we contributed climate benefits equivalent to over a quarter of Sweden’s carbon emissions. However, we are working hard to reduce our remaining emissions and packaging is something we have been looking at for a long time. Timber is a sustainable product and it’s important that the packaging is sustainable too,” says Jerry Larsson.

Another advantage of Trioworld’s Loop70 film is that it is manufactured in a plant just outside Sundsvall in northern Sweden, in close proximity to many of SCA’s facilities.

“Being able to minimise transport is clearly another positive for the climate,” says Jerry Larsson.

The first SCA mills to use the new packaging from Trioworld were the Rundvik and Gällö sawmills and the planing mills in Stugun and Tunadal.

Certification is a guarantee

Meanwhile, Trioworld is working continuously to identify new solutions to further reduce the carbon footprint of its products.

“As things stand, it is impossible to make timber packaging from 100 per cent recycled material without losing many of the attributes the packaging needs to have. There are however other ways to proceed. Among other things, we are looking at making more bio-based materials, and that’s somewhere we see exciting opportunities,” says Tom Rautakorpi.

Trioworld’s use of recycled materials on its production lines is independently audited, something that customers are increasingly demanding.

“The certification is carried out by Recyclass and ensures traceability in the supply chain. We are the first to offer a product with 70 percent PCR, meaning plastic that has been recycled after consumer use, and to be able to verify this through a Recyclass certification,” says Tom Rautakorpi.
More waste plastic needs to be collected

Demand for recycled packaging is increasing in many markets, both as a result of political decisions and because businesses and industry organisations are increasingly focused on sustainability. However, any general increase in the percentage of recycled plastic is dependent on more waste material being collected. 

“Alas, at present far too much packaging is thrownaway, so we are working hard to increase awareness of how it should be sorted and collected. Plastic waste is a raw material that we want to take advantage of and,at the same time, prevent it going for incineration. One challenge is the fact that packaging is handled at so many different locations, from builders’ merchants to planing mills, construction sites and people’s homes,” Tom Rautakorpi notes.

In addition to informing about the importance of collecting waste material, Trioworld is building recycling plants around Europe to secure access to recycled plastic. 

“Society in general is moving towards greater circularity, We are working proactively to offer circular packaging solutions while maintaining quality, in line with the EU’s climate targets. Close collaboration with customers at the forefront of sustainability is crucial to our success.”