Collaboration between SCA Forest Products' pulp mill Östrand, the company Cellcomb in the Swedish province of Värmland, and SCA R&D Centre in Sundsvall has meant that SCA’s Luna pulp will be used to make food pads.
"It’s an innovative project that uses Luna’s unique product features to create new application areas," says Bengt Nordström, Product Manager for Luna.
Cellcomb AB in the city of Karlstad is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of disposable laminated products for healthcare services, care for the elderly and the hygiene market. The company’s aim is to base its products, to the greatest degree possible, on compostable and renewable materials.
Now, the company is aiming to strengthen its position and break into the food market by offering an ecofriendly food pad for use in the packaging of fresh foods.
The advantage of using Luna as a food pad is that – compared with other similar products – it is an ecofriendly wood-fibre-based product. The majority of absorbent food products are manufactured from oil-based super absorbents.
"Luna’s absorption properties and strong environmental profile are a perfect match for our strategy of working with environmentally friendly disposable products," says Göran Eriksson, President of Cellcomb.
The collaboration resulted in the establishment of a long-term agreement, which was signed at the beginning of the year.
Cellcomb’s food pad has already attracted great interest. Customers primarily comprise manufactures of food trays and distributors of fresh-food packaging.
The collaboration with Cellcomb may also offer other opportunities for Luna in the future.
"Cellcomb makes disposable underpads and surgical consumables for the healthcare market, an area that may be suitable for Luna. Cellcomb will have access to SCA R&D Centres and our know-how, enabling the company to test future products," says Nordström.
