Metsä Group introduces world’s first biodegradable film – future bioproducts from Northern wood fibre

biodegradable film

Sustainably grown renewable wood fibre is Finland’s most significant natural resource. Wood-based biomaterials are already being used to manufacture competitive, environmentally friendly products, and their use will increase in the future. To introduce these possibilities, Metsä Group presents the world’s first biodegradable film production – Intelligent Fibre.

With its rich forest resources, Finland is the world’s No. 1 country in bioeconomy. Metsä Group is a Finnish forest industry company leading the way – we base our business  on the resource-efficient use of renewable natural resources and recyclable materials. The current welfare society is a product of the fossil economy, but we see that the unsustainable consumption can no longer continue.

The core idea behind bio and circular economy is that every part of a tree and all fractions are used for purposes that create the highest added value. The Intelligent Fibre campaign reveals the future use of wood: all featured objects – the shoe, the headphones and the scale model of the bioproduct mill – are made of biodegradable materials.

Forests are managed sustainably and each harvested tree is used 100%

Where someone else may only see trees, we see the world’s best renewable raw material. Finland is the most forested country in Europe: forests cover more than 75% of our land, and we prefer to keep it that way. We plant at least four new seedlings for every tree cut in regeneration felling.

Trees are divided into timber logs, pulpwood and branches according to the purpose. Timber logs are processed optimally into high-quality wood products, and all related fractions are used in pulp production or to produce renewable energy.

In the pulp production, side streams and pulp are processed into various bioproducts, with the goal of zero waste. Metsä Group’s new bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland, is a prime example of a sustainable ecosystem that uses and recycles nearly 100% of its material streams.

To complement traditional products like construction materials, pulp, paperboard and tissue papers, new innovative wood-based bioproducts are emerging. In the future, next-generation bioproducts may become major export products for Finland.

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