Living in the Bioeconomy is the title of the two-day conference Sweden is organizing during the Presidency of EU.

Billerud’s President and CEO Christoph Michalski spoke about the role of fibre-based packaging in the needed green transition. The conclusion is that material and design of package matters.

The bioeconomy is an important part of the circular economy. Fiber-based packaging is recycled, and the fiber is reused again and again until the quality of the fiber has become so low that it no longer can be used. Then it returns to carbon dioxide and the natural carbon cycle is closed. This contrasts the fossil economy. Billerud replaces fossil-based materials with renewable and recyclable materials. Recycled content contributes to the sustainability of paper-based packaging and to a more sustainable, circular economy.

“I would also like to stress the importance of food safety. Protecting food and reducing food waste have a greater impact than the actual climate impact of producing the package”, says Christoph Michalski. “We focus on the areas where you receive the most climate effects. LCA, Life Cycle Assessment, shows that fiber-based packaging often has an advantage compared to other materials like glass and plastics. It is explained by a significantly higher packaging and transport efficiency. And if you look at beverage cartoons for example, they are made mainly from renewable resources, reducing the strain of fossil resources”.