Walki Group partners with The Paper Lid Company to make recyclable and printable paper lids also in news, Walki Group’s next generation production line inaugurated in Valkeakoski.
Walki Group partners with The Paper Lid Company to make recyclable and printable paper lids
Walkie Group has invested in Finnish start-up The Paper Lid Company (‘TPLC’). TPLC’s sustainable paper lid manufacturing site in Masku, Finland, is ready for scaling up production volumes supported by Walki’s material conversion and printing capabilities.
End users of hot and cold cup lids are increasingly looking for alternatives to replace plastic lids with more sustainable solutions. While the use of plastic lids has not yet been widely banned by regulation, restaurants, coffee chains, retailers and others are already taking action to transition away from single-use plastic lids.
TPLC has developed a unique way of manufacturing high-quality recyclable paper lids. The lid developed by TPLC fits firmly to the cup, has a pleasant touch and feel, can be customprinted and comes at a competitive price compared to plastic alternatives. The raw material for the lids is produced with dispersioncoating technology which makes the lid recyclable in paper waste streams.
Walki’s startup investment initiative Walki Ventures has invested in TPLC and established a strategic partnership to support TPLC in implementation of the ambitious growth plan the founders have laid out. Walki will support TPLC in several areas, including development of recyclable raw material for the lids and printing services for custom and single-color printed lids. TPLC will also become a member of Walki’s R&D Community, helping the company to articulate sustainability benefits towards the customers in a fact-based manner.
“We are very excited to partner with Walki and get access to the resources that come with this partnership. Raw material plays a very important role both in our production process and quality of the end product. With Walki’s material knowhow, printing capabilities and other support, we are ready to start supplying the market in larger scale”, says Matti Salonoja, CEO and co-founder of TPLC.
For more information, please contact: Leif Frilund, CEO Walki, tel. +358 40 354 3330
Miika Järvinen, VP Walki Ventures and Corporate Development, tel. +358 50 491 0576
Walki Group’s next generation production line inaugurated in Valkeakoski
The next generation production line in Walki’s Valkeakoski plant was officially inaugurated today with a festive ceremony that brought together customers and other stakeholders from various parts of the world.
The 13 MEUR investment – one of the most significant in Walki’s history – is an important step forward in the company’s strategy to transform materials towards a circular future.
“With this milestone investment, we are expanding our technology base to secure the recyclability of our fibre-based products to meet the strictest requirements of expected future regulations”, says Leif Frilund, President and CEO.
“This new production line will cater to the fast-growing demand for fibre-based and recyclable materials, both in our consumer packaging and construction materials segments”, adds Frilund.
The novel coating technology – a combination of dispersion and impregnation technology – is enhancing Walki’s capabilities to produce high barrier fibre-based materials with a low carbon footprint.
“The unique production line has been completely designed inhouse and is the most modern in the world. Dispersion technology is a sustainable way to achieve barrier properties for fibre-based packaging without compromising recyclability in fibre streams”, says Kari Salminen, Deputy CEO and Executive Vice President, Engineered Materials.
In addition to packaging materials, the production line will be serving customers in the construction industry, who are under pressure to comply with tightened regulations regarding both fire safety and recyclability of construction materials.
“Regulation creates the need for materials that can replace aluminium in construction facings without compromising flame-retardance. We will produce new facings coated with a flame-retardant substance for polyurethane insulation”, says Kari Salminen.
The new production line was a true team effort involving not only Walki employees but also a wide range of suppliers, as well as the support from customers.
“Everything has gone according to plan, which we can see in our excellent safety statistics relating to the project”, says Kari Salminen.
Walki received financing from Business Finland’s circular economy funding for this investment.
Further information, please contact: Kari Salminen, Deputy CEO and Executive Vice President, Engineered Materials Email: kari.salminen@walki.com Phone +358 40 737 1917
Leif Frilund; President and CEO Email: leif.frilund@walki.com Phone +358 40 354 3330
About Walki
At Walki, we believe in a sustainable and circular tomorrow. Our mission is to accelerate the world’s transition into a zero-waste future in packaging and promote the use of energy efficient materials across industries. Walki’s product solutions are designed to bring value to customers in many different markets; from sustainable materials for packaging applications to energy saving performance materials.
Walki is a fast growing international group organized in three business areas: Consumer Packaging, Industrial Packaging and Engineered Materials, with operations in twelve different countries, both in Europe and Asia. Our production facilities are located in Finland, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, the UK, Poland, Russia and China. We are employing about 1 500 people globally and we expect a turnover for this year of more than 700 MEUR. To best cater to our global customers, we aim to continue investing in state-of-the-art production facilities and promoting our tradition of innovation and exceptional service worldwide.
To feature your company on Paper Technology International News please visit our website https://papertechnologyinternational.com or email your press release to info@papertechnologyinternational.com
