Metsä Spring and Valmet to construct a pilot plant to manufacture wood-based 3D fibre products

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Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF. 

Metsä Spring (Metsä Group’s innovation company) and Valmet have decided to continue the development collaboration related to 3D fibre products and to invest jointly approximately 20 M€ in a new R&D project. As part of this project, a greenfield pilot plant will be built on Metsä Group’s mill site in Äänekoski (Finland). 

Figure 1. Metsä Spring and Valmet to construct a pilot plant to produce wood-based 3D fibre products (taken from the press release) 

Location

Metsä Group’s mill site in Äänekoski (Finland).

Feedstock

Renewable, sustainably-grown and pure Finnish wood fibre.

Products

3D fibre products ready to be shipped to end customers.

They will replace, for instance, packages made out of fossil raw materials.

Employment effect

When operational, the pilot plant will employ roughly 10 persons.

Timeline

The construction of the pilot plant begins in the autumn of 2020 and is expected to be ready for operation by the end of 2021.

If the pilot plant phase validates the concept as sound, the next step would be the construction of a commercial factory in the following years. Such a factory would be built in Finland.


The short-term goal of the project is to develop a novel durable, environmentally-friendly and easy-to-use food package. Based on a recent customer survey, products like this are in high demand on the market and it will grow further in the future. The aim is set for high volume market segments. The 3D fibre products are recyclable. However, in case recycling is not possible, the material decomposes also biologically. 

The pilot plant will be used for the continued development of both the manufacturing technology and the 3D fibre product and is part of the ExpandFibre programme.

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