UPM Specialty Papers has partnered with EvoPak to support Walkers Chocolates’ transition from a plastic wrapper to recyclable paper-based packaging. This will help Walkers Chocolates achieve its sustainable packaging ambition while reducing plastic usage across their site.
The largest and most modern consumer packaging board production line in Europe was inaugurated in Oulu, Finland. The new line was inaugurated by Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo, Chair of Stora Enso’s Board of Directors Kari Jordan, President and CEO of Stora Enso Hans Sohlström, and Oulu mill’s Chief Shop Steward Olli-Pekka Kaikkonen. Stora Enso’s Oulu unit serves the growing demand for renewable packaging globally and contributes to the transition to a circular bioeconomy. At the same time, the production site supports Finland’s competitiveness and increases exports with products of higher added value.
Avantium N.V., a Dutch company focused on renewable and circular polymer materials, successfully started up the sugar dehydration (SDH) unit and all auxiliary systems and utilities at its FDCA Flagship Plant in Delfzijl. This achievement marks a key technical achievement in the phased commissioning and start-up of the world’s first commercial facility dedicated to the production of FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), a key building block for the 100% plant-based and recyclable polymer PEF (polyethylene furanoate), branded as releaf®. Avantium now expects to begin commercial sales under its existing offtake agreements in the first quarter of 2026.
The Water Solutions team of Dupont has been recognized as a 2025 “Sustainability Squad” in the BIG Sustainability Awards for its work to advance industrial wastewater treatment, reuse and minimal liquid discharge (MLD). The “Sustainability Squad” Award, presented by the Business Intelligence Group, celebrates the DuPont Water Solutions team’s development and commercialization of the FilmTec™ Fortilife™ membranes, which enable industrial customers to treat and reuse wastewater more efficiently, reduce discharge volumes, and recover valuable resources—all while lowering energy consumption and operational costs.
According to Braskem, the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas and a global pioneer in large-scale biopolymer production, the demand for bio-based shopping bags is increasing in the Japanese market. In Japan, bio-based polyethylene (PE) is gaining attention as a sustainable material, particularly because CO2 emissions from its incineration can be counted as zero in the case of a biomass plastic-an attribute that aligns with the calculation of the effects in the Japanese government’s global warming countermeasures plan.
South Korean LG Chem and Italian Enilive have taken a major step toward biofuels growth by breaking ground on Korea’s first hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production plant in LG Chem’s Daesan Chemical Complex located in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do, 80 kilometers southwest of Seoul. The plant is going to be constructed by the LG Chem and Enilive joint venture, called LG-Eni BioRefining, and it is scheduled for completion in 2027 and will annually process approximately 400,000 tons of renewable bio-feedstock.
Clariant, a sustainability-focused specialty chemical company, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai Boiler Works, a full subsidiary of Shanghai Electric, specializing in energy conversion and the development of new energy applications, to jointly foster innovation in sustainable energy solutions. The partners will combine their expertise to advance green energy projects in China.
DMC Biotechnologies, a leading U.S.-based biochemical company, launched his D-chiro-inositol. This new ingredient joins DMC’s growing portfolio of sustainable health actives, produced through fermentation, and now available for health-forward nutraceutical brands in the U.S.
CLIB, the Cluster industrielle Biotechnologie, is organizing an event for SMEs and start-ups. The Duesseldorf-headquartered cluster is inviting both SMEs and start-ups, as well as investors, industry experts, and consultants to apply for the fourth “SME & Start-up Pitch Event @ CLIB” on 3 September 2025 in Düsseldorf (in-person event).
TotalEnergies Corbion, a global leader in PLA bioplastics, is strengthening regionally-produced compostable food serviceware availability in the United States through its ongoing partnership with Brazil-based Earth Renewable Technologies (ERT Bioplastics). By supplying its Luminy® PLA resin, a biobased and industrially compostable material, TotalEnergies Corbion enables ERT® to manufacture durable, high-quality food serviceware such as cutlery, cups, plates, and straws. These products are designed to meet the growing demand for sustainable, compostable packaging in the U.S. while also supporting supply chain flexibility through ERT’s® operations in Brazil.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 