Fibu’s renewable, biodegradable wood fibre foam, which seeks to reduce plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in the packaging, construction, and furniture industries, is set to see a global roll-out with investment from Elof Hansson Holding.
According to Fibu, 59% of the EU’s annual waste constitutes of packaging, with 40% of its annual demand for plastic being utilised in packaging applications. The company’s wood fibre foam serves as a replacement for fossil-based cushioning products and claims to be 100% renewable, biodegradable, recyclable, and reusable.
As well as offering high product protection in packaging applications, its internal structure is thought to be durable under compression. It apparently absorbs both moisture and noise and is thought to be a valuable material to package electronics due to its anti-static properties.
Furthermore, Fibu claims that the material is soft and smells like wood, resulting in a positive consumer experience. Its worldwide release intends to prevent greenhouse gas emissions, save energy, and protect wildlife through the prevention of pollution.
“This is a great opportunity for us,” explains Majid Alimadadi, CEO and co-founder of Fibu AB. “But initially our focus has been just packaging applications. The material is made of renewable raw materials and is fully biodegradable, produced without using any harmful chemicals.
“With their extensive experience in forest products, Elof Hansson is a very good fit for us. From our perspective, when bringing in an investor, it is not just the money that matters. With Elof Hansson, we secure the access to raw materials as well as the possibility to bring our products to a large, global market.
“The plan for the upcoming year is to go to the market on a larger scale. We have dialogues with several companies, large and small, with various packaging needs that we can fulfill. We also have an exciting discussion with an international, well-known brand.
“Investing in Fibu aligns well with Elof Hansson’s growth strategy to expand our offering with focus on sustainability and we are excited about supporting Fibu’s commercialisation,” adds Staffan Nordin, director of Business Development at Elof Hansson Group.
Other foam-based developments came to light last year, including Antalis Packaging’s foam profiles claiming to be made from 100% recycled content and the ‘recyclable’ alternative to fossil-based foam in the form of Stora Enso’s Papira – previously nominated as a Sustainability Awards finalist.
Metsä Spring also led a seed funding round responsible for helping Fiberwood – a Finnish start-up and producer of insulation and packaging materials from side streams of the mechanical wood industry – scale up the production capabilities at its pilot plant.
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