Welcome to the new normal: Innovative technologies unlock new circular value chains in traditional businesses

Today’s growth is fuelled by innovation, sustainability, and the efficient use of resources

The forest industry’s value chains are undergoing transformations. The growth that we were used to thirty years ago was about investing in new factories to manufacture products in higher capacity and efficiency, with no significant demand for new innovations. Today, however, growth is increasingly driven by innovation, sustainability, and the efficient use of resources, focusing on creating value beyond mere production capacity.

The change is driven by factors such as reducing the reliance on fossil raw materials and maximising material utilisation. End users, including consumers, increasingly demand more sustainable ways to produce goods instead of using fossil-based raw materials. The key is not only to develop more sustainable products and packaging but also to advance a circular economy where materials are used efficiently, reused whenever possible, and nothing goes to waste. In practice, this means transformation from traditional production processes and products to advanced technologies and higher value products.

– Value is created by ensuring that nothing goes to waste. Everything that can be recycled is recycled. We need to see that production side streams that were earlier considered as waste are now high value raw materials for modern products for different purposes. It is also important to replace fossil-based raw materials as much as possible, says Tom Lind, the board member of CH-Bioforce Oy and CEO of Elomatic.

The demand for more sustainable products and solutions is also necessary due to the well-being of people and the planet.

– It is not just about creating sustainable products and packaging, but also enabling the well-being of people and the planet. Companies have a huge responsibility to respond to this demand. By doing so, they not only contribute to a healthier planet but to also remain competitive by meeting the growing demand for consumers, says Lind.

In addition to the consumers’ demand, the need to reduce the reliance on fossil raw materials and maximizing the use of raw materials, there is also another challenge: availability and adequacy of raw materials. Especially the use of fossil-based raw materials creates a problem since they do not regenerate like renewable raw materials.

Biopolymers as a solution

Biopolymers are versatile and promising raw materials that can solve these challenges.

Biopolymers are polymers that can be found from natural sources from trees to plants. They can be extracted from almost any kind of biomass, even from side streams that are usually overlooked and end up being burned. The biopolymers can be extracted from the biomass using CH-Bioforce’s BIOFORSENSE® biomass fractionation technology.

The resulting biomaterials – polymeric hemicellulose XYLENSE®, dissolving cellulose CELLENSE™ and sulphur-free lignin LIGNENSE® – are extremely pure and close to their natural form. These biomaterials can be used for a wide range of purposes from clothing and cosmetics to packaging and to replace plastic. These raw materials not only enable us to produce more sustainable products but they also enable a circular economy where the value of materials is maximised and nothing goes to waste.

When it comes to the well-being of people and the planet, they not only promote more sustainable ways to manufacture products, but they can also be used to improve the health of people. For example hemicellulose provides an opportunity to be used as a fibre supplement for people who struggle to get the needed fibre from their food.

Partnership, information exchange and continuous innovation are at the core of success

Tom Lind sees that partnership, open sharing of information and continuous innovating together are the key to success.

A partnership model can mean one company owning a biomass fractionation unit and other companies provide the biomass to be processed. The resulting biomaterials are then sold to manufacturers that produce products out of the raw materials. This is just an example, many other types of partnership models can also be possible.

Tom recognises that standing still is not an option – continuous innovation is essential to discovering new ways to utilise raw materials.

– The possibilities for biopolymers are endless. We just need to discover them and utilise our unique, top competences for their processing. For that we need strong partnership, collaboration, and open exchange of information.

It is also important that potential partners and consumers understand what kind of possibilities biopolymers provide.

– To understand what this all is about, we need to communicate clearly the value that the biopolymers bring and in what kind of applications the raw materials can be used. That way people start to demand companies to start using these raw materials in their manufacturing process of products, says Lind.