Biofibre News

Major success for Södra’s birch seed cultivation

After several years of intensive work to produce high-quality birch seeds, Södra has now harvested a large amount of birch seeds in its greenhouse orchard in Falkenberg. The seeds will be used to breed improved birch seedlings with favourable traits, which will promote the growth and diversity of family forestry. Access to selectively bred birch seeds for cultivating seedlings with favourable traits, such as high growth, straight stems and tightly knotted wood, has long been limited. At the same time, demand among forest owners for birch seedlings has been considerably higher than Södra’s ability to produce and deliver.

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Södra and Lenzing receive international cooperation award

On November 6, 2023, Södra and its collaboration partner Lenzing Group received the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) Award 2023 in the category "International Cooperation" for their joint achievements in textile recycling and circular economy.

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Gutex produces first fibers for insulation board with new Andritz fiber preparation system

Wood fiber insulation board manufacturer Gutex has successfully produced first fibers with its new Andritz fiber preparation system in Eschbach, Germany. This is the second system Andritz has delivered to Gutex. Oliver Bauch, Plant Manager, Gutex, says: “The new line will perfectly support the environmentally friendly production approach for our ecological insulation board products. Thanks to the excellent cooperation and the great effort of the whole Andritz team we were able to produce first fibers even ahead of schedule.”

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Lotus Teknik Tekstil invests in Andritz Metris All-In-One digitalization platform for new nonwovens line

International technology group Andritz has received an order from Lotus Teknik Tekstil A.S., Türkiye, to install a Metris All-In-One digitalization platform for its new WetlaceTM CP nonwovens production line from Andritz. The integration will be finalized in September 2023.

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SCA becomes wholly owner of Gällö Timber AB

SCA and Persson Invest began their collaboration around Gällö Timber and the sawmill in Gällö, Jämtland in 2010. Since 2010, significant investments have been made in the sawmill to develop its operations and strengthen its competitiveness. Today, the sawmill has 115 employees and a capacity of 370,000 cubic meters of sawn timber.

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Greenply produces first fibers with new Andritz pressurized refining system

Greenply Industries Limited has successfully produced first fibers with its new high-performance pressurized refining system from Andritz at its MDF (medium-density fiberboard) production facility in Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Sanidhya Mittal, Joint Managing Director, Greenply Industries Limited, says: “The pressurized refining system from Andritz is highly efficient and energy saving, which is in line with our environmentally friendly production process. We would like to thank Andritz and its team for their assistance during the installation and the high level of professionalism throughout the whole project.”

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10 innovations for fiber-based packaging

As the focus of the packaging industry is continuously shifting to sustainability, innovations in fiber-based packaging are shaping a new ecosystem. Smithers has published a new white paper, 10 Recent Innovations That Are Changing the Landscape of Fiber-Based Packaging, which offers an in-depth insight into the strengths and limitations of fiber-based packaging formats.

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Södra invests in AI company and becomes a partner in Nordic Forestry Automation

Södra Ädla is a new partner of Nordic Forestry Automation (NFA). The company develops next-generation operator support systems for forest machines based on sensor technology from autonomous vehicles and AI algorithms. The investment is done together with Sveaskog and Almi Invest Syd and comprises a total of SEK 10 million.

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“Biggest ever” EU Life textile funding to the recycling system OnceMore®

In its largest funding ever, EU Life has granted 10 million Euro for a project to scale up OnceMore®, an innovative, first-of-a-kind industrial-scale system for recycling of blended textile waste. The project is a collaboration between Swedish Forest industry group Södra and Austrian company Lenzing.

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Andritz introduces new spunlace pilot line for natural and recycled fibers

International technology group Andritz has installed a new spunlace pilot line at its center of competence in Montbonnot, France. It allows customers and partners to conduct trials for producing nonwovens from recycled and/or natural fibers such as hemp, flax, and cotton. The new pilot line features optimized web forming and entanglement for smooth processing of sensitive and irregular fibers. The innovative card set-up is designed to protect and maintain the quality of the fibers while achieving outstanding productivity rates.

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Holmen Iggesund invests in the future of packaging

The aim at Holmen Iggesund has always been to work closely with brands and other partners across the value chain. To advance this further, the company has created a new department. Showcasing how its collaborative approach will help meet customer needs, the Future Packaging department is developing packaging with exciting new fibre-based concepts.

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