PulPac

Paper cutlery / Source: PulPac

CelluloseEuropeFood & BeveragePackagingPulPac Dry Molded Fiber

WHAT WE SAY:

Our society is addicted to single-use convenience. While we will continue to celebrate the innovators exploring new usage and business models, we also need makers finding better – renewable, biodegradable and non-toxic – solutions to single-use staples, like cutlery and food trays.

PulPac has developed a cost-competitive, renewable replacement for single-use plastic. Its fibre LipLid coffee lid was recently rolled out by Max Burger, one of Sweden’s biggest burger chains, with millions of units. Moulded fibre, from its many different renewable feedstocks, is one of the few materials that can escalate to billions of units – this is one to watch.

LipLid coffee cup lid / Source: PulPac

ABOUT PULPAC

PulPac is the creator of a Dry Molded Fiber method, which presses dried paper pulp into everyday packaging solutions and single-use items, such as spoons, trays, lids and bowls.
The company claims that its Dry Molded Fiber process is up to 10 times faster, compared to more traditional Moulded Fibre methods, while the dry process has a lower environmental footprint.
PulPac’s process uses Cellulose-based fibre, typically sourced from wood pulp.
PulPac’s primary offering is its PulPac Modula PU300 machine, which produces food-grade fibre products, such as spoons, trays, lids and bowls. The machine has a typical production cycle of 3.5 seconds per tray, equating to an output of up to 230 million spoons per year.
In May 2022, Pulpac – along with its partners Nordic Barrier Coating and OrganoClick – received funding from BioInnovation, a Swedish innovation initiative, to continue development of its bio-based, PFAS-free barrier coatings.
The company’s business model involves licensing its IP, technology and machinery to local partners. It has a partnership with global consulting firm PA Technology.
Licensees include Bio-Lutions in Germany, Hébert Group in France, Better All Round in the UK and AR Packaging in Sweden.
Pulpac was founded in 2018, after being spun out from communications group WPP, where it was created as part of an intrapreneur competition. It is now owned jointly by WPP, Swedish investment group PPI AB and Dryfibre AB, an employee ownership company.
The company raised USD 1.2 million in January 2021 in order to further commercialise its technology, taking its total funding to USD 7.1 million.
In July 2023, PulPac signed a licence agreement with global fibre food packaging provider Matrix Pack to accelerate production of its Dry Molded Fiber. Matrix Pack’s licence will bring the technology to its seven manufacturing plants in North America and Europe and will begin with hot and cold drink lids.
Pulpac’s Dry Molded Fiber technology was a finalist in Packaging Europe’s 2021 Sustainability Awards.
Recent innovations have included the LipLid, a fibre-based lid for takeaway coffee cups and what it claims is the 'world’s first' paper tube lid.