Project description
Sustainable, cost-efficient alternative raw material for Europe's paper industry
Wood pulp accounts for about half of the millions of tonnes of paper produced globally each year, which means that a very large percentage of the global industrial wood harvest is consumed, with significant effects on nature and the environment. The EU-funded Grasspaper project is developing a sustainable and cost-effective alternative raw material for the European paper industry: grassfibre produced by a novel patented mechanical process, compatible with standard production equipment. Grasspaper products are free of noxious substances, offering a 75 % reduction in CO2 emissions. The new solution provides a step forward in the direction of a circular economy that will further address and replace unsustainable single-use plastics.
Objective
With grassfibre Creapaper introduces a highly innovative, sustainable and cost-efficient alternative raw material for the European paper industry. About half of the 400 million tons paper produced worldwide every year are based on wood pulp. This consumes about 40% of the global industrial wood harvest. Moreover, transport and processing of the wood consume a lot of water, chemicals and energy. Costs and impact to nature are severe. Creapaper provides an unique solution to this problems by introducing grassfibres, produced by a novel patented mechanical process, as a new resource for the paper industry which is compatible to standard production equipment. Grasspaper products are free of noxious substances, printable and have a distinctive sustainable, yet premium appearance and up to 75% of CO2 emissions are saved. They are therefore very attractive for packaging and to replace single-use plastics. Several awards in the packaging industry and first orders from large, well-known brands confirm these USPs of grasspaper products. While Creapaper's customers are paper mills, also brand owners and retailers are addressed with own designs and mock ups. This increases the demand for grasspaper and grassfibres rapidly and will allow a fast scale-up in the European key markets. We started establishing grassfibre as the paper industry's third raw material source besides wood pulp and waste-paper. Creapaper installed a first grassfibre production centre. In the project we will modify and optimise the production process, as well as grasspaper and coating properties, to allow cost-efficient mass production of grasspaper products. As the next step of ecologocal packaging materials also adding to circular economy, 100% treeless grass-textile paper, unsing textile waste and grass is developed to market readiness. This next stage in our commercialisation strategy allows us to evolve our business model from grassfibre and grasspaper towards grasspaper products to substitute single-use plastics like straws, cups, and bags.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextiles
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managementbusiness models
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesenvironmental sciencespollution
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesforestry
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
53773 Hennef
Germany
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.