Global introduction of sustainable dry molded fiber products for scalable replacement of single-use-plastics, GIT

Purpose and goal: Plastic has dominated packaging and single-use products given its cost-effectiveness. However, it drives emissions and pollution among other drawbacks, whereby society is pushing forward to replace plastic. PulPac and partners are leading the development of the revolutionary Dry-Molded method in order to replace single-use plastic with cellulose fibers. The project aims to have, on an industrial scale, developed and validated 10 product concepts of dry-molded cellulose-based packaging and disposable products according to market requirements in each product category. Expected results and effects: Through the development and validation of ten product concepts, up to TRL7, Dry-Molding technology can be spread globally. Given validated products, a rapid commercial introduction can take place to the market, whereby the Project contributes in five years´ time to a reduction in emissions of up to 600,000 tonnes of CO2eq. Given the proven product categories, sustainable industry is truly scaled up. Over five years, Dry-Molding is is global with over 100 manufacturers and partners having joined as licensees, with the average manufacturer operating four production lines. Approach and implementation: PulPac leads the project with the development of product concepts and the development of test series. The consortium jointly ensures compliance with product concepts according to regulations. RISE and RISE Innventia conduct third-party validation of developed concepts with comprehensive testing for e.g. degradability, recycling, consumer preferences and life cycle assessments. In parallel, AR Packaging supports with its market expertise in commercial design, functionality, and market-testing of the concepts.