Moelven Wood is collaborating with Billerud to create a sustainable paper-based packaging solution for its wooden interior panels, aiming to replace plastic shrink wrap.

Nineteen companies participated in the MoelvenHackathon, a packaging challenge hosted by Moelven Wood and organized by forestry bioeconomy cluster Paper Province in Karlstad, Sweden.

Billerud was selected as the winner among participants, presenting a fiber-based solution that impressed Moelven's jury with its sustainability, content representation, and visual appeal in stores.

"Billerud’s team presented a sharp and concrete solution that conveys sustainability, reflects the content, and visually stands out in stores," says Tjalling Chaudron, Product Development Manager at Moelven Wood.

The collaboration aims to develop packaging with excellent technical properties, adding value to Moelven's products and implementing it in the factory effectively.

"The packaging solution that we presented offers a modern and attractive packaging for a modern and attractive panel," added Björn Larsson, Business Developer at Billerud.

Replacing the shrink wrap with a renewable alternative is expected to contribute to Moelven Wood's carbon footprint reduction. The development of the new packaging is set to begin in January to introduce fossil-free packaging to Moelven’s customers.

Moelven is the second Swedish company to adopt the Bioboosters innovation hackathon, an approach developed in an international Interreg initiative involving nine participants across seven countries.

"The hackathon process is a new approach to finding innovative solutions," says Malin Hildén, Communications Officer at Paper Province. "By openly announcing a company’s challenge and letting businesses present their ideas, new collaborations can begin, and new products and solutions can be given life."

"It’s a very good concept," Chaudron concluded. "We sought innovation, and thanks to the hackathon, we have seen the breadth available in the market and the opportunities that come with it. We have gained a lot of knowledge about packaging that we didn’t have before, and we are very grateful to all the suppliers that participated."

Earlier this year, Billerud introduced a sustainable solution by wrapping toilet and kitchen paper rolls in machine-glazed kraft paper, offering recyclability, biodegradability, reduced carbon emissions, and similar strength to polyethylene solutions.

In another initiative, Coca-Cola HBC piloted a cardboard and paper alternative to plastic shrink film for 1.5-litre multipacks of Coca-Cola, Fanta, and Sprite sold in Austria, aiming to reduce 200 tonnes of plastic annually.

Mondi’s Advantage StretchWrap paper wrapping solution is also making strides as Sentrex adopts it for pallets. This effort is expected to simplify logistics, optimize efficiency in the wrapping process, and phase out unnecessary plastics.