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November 1, 2015

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Stora Enso advocates sustainable packaging

ON October 22, the 2015 “Innovation and Development: Multinational Companies in Shanghai” Best Innovative Practice Awards announced the winners. Stora Enso’s “Renewable and Intelligent Packaging” was successfully selected one of the Top 40 Best Innovative Practice cases. Stora Enso also became the only winner in the renewable
materials field.

Stora Enso, a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wood and paper on global markets, is transforming from a traditional paper and board producer
to a renewable growth materials company. Innovation is an integral part of the strategy. Research and development of innovative materials as well as intelligent packaging is an important practice in the transformation strategy for Stora Enso.

Faced with the opportunities amid the “Internet+” revolution, Stora Enso and partners are playing their roles in joint research and development to meet market demand for raw materials
as well as packaging products and services.

“Stora Enso takes innovation as own responsibility, because innovation is a link that can help us get closer to the market and consumers. We are very much honored to receive the award with Stora Enso’s Renewable and Intelligent Packaging case. It’s not only recognition in the field of innovation, but also a driving force for continuous innovation,” said Louie Wang, general manager of Stora Enso China Sales, who received the award on behalf of the company.

Innovation stems from the urgent need for transformation. In the traditional forestry and paper market, although the paper business continues to decline, growth of renewable packaging and timber for construction remains strong. There is an increasingly strong demand for smarter and sustainable packaging, biomass materials and innovative wood products.

Stora Enso’s innovation priorities include biomass chemistry, biomass materials, forestry and industrial digitalization. In 2015, Stora Enso Group appointed chief technology officer (CTO) and divisional innovation responsible people to take charge of mapping out R&D and innovation agendas for their own.

The divisions are working actively with idea generation, tools for innovation management and innovation boards to evaluate the ideas generated in the organizations.

A common stage gate process to screen and develop ideas from concepts to business opportunities has also been taken into use. The group R&D innovation function works with a cross-division approach to ensure best practice sharing and optimal use of resources and capacity.

The group function also has the task of ensuring that the ideas generated in the organization find the best possible home from a commercialization perspective. On the R&D expenditure, even though the global economy dwindles and enterprises in traditional industries reduce expenses, Stora Enso is still investing heavily. In 2014, the group’s R&D expenditure hit 100 million euros (US$109 million). After a series of innovation efforts, Stora Enso has made considerable achievements in renewable materials, intelligent packaging and timber applications. The micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) project has started commercial production and the company is also teaming up with NXP to develop chip-based intelligent packaging.

In biomaterials, Stora Enso is looking at how lift-over materials from the tree can be used in specialty chemicals, coatings, personal care and food industries. In wood application, it’s further developing the housing and modular building concept. In packaging and board, it’s exploring all the ways to provide renewable solutions with excellent performance and added functionality while using less resources. In paper, its’s opening new doors with our customers.

Song Wangqiu, senior vice president of Stora Enso China, said that as an important step in its strategic investments to facilitate the transition to an innovative renewable materials company,
Stora Enso Group’s 1.6-billion-euro forest-pulp-and-paper integrated project in Guangxi has achieved solid progress. With 85,000 leased land for sustainable plantation, and a board machine with capacity of 450,000-ton in the first-phase scheduled to start up in mid-2016, Stora Enso will supply high-quality food and beverage packaging based on renewable raw materials to China.




 

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