Enhancing commercial scale demonstration facility
The LIFE WOODMER project is the first of its kind that will demonstrate an innovative production of the WOODMER® Seal product for packaging applications, more specifically in heat seal coatings. The overall objective of the LIFE WOODMER project is to validate the functionality and acceptance of our unique WOODMER® Seal product on a larger production scale with European associated partners (Seaman Paper, Kemira and Colombier) and end users, enabling Ecohelix to build the foundation for continuous strong growth. The insights that will be generated from this pilot project will be essential to commercializing our production process, including the innovative formulation steps, on a larger scale, enhancing our ability to pursue to the large market with the mission of promoting a more resource-efficient way of producing sustainable, wood-based biopolymers.
The project aims to incorporate additional process steps into our already built commercial scale demonstration facility to validate the production components and systems for the new WOODMER® Seal product at an industrially relevant scale (~5% of full scale) at continuous, full operating conditions. This pilot scale is an essential step before scaling to commercial scale. Following the pilot step, the WOODMER® technology, with superior environmental footprint can be scaled to other sites both in Europe and globally. Tests on these process steps in a small pre-industrial scale, conducted since 2020, have shown good results and that the concept should be possible in a larger scale.
The challenge we are solving
The polymer industry is at a critical juncture, facing the need to transition away from fossil-based materials, increased regulatory pressures, and the growing consumer demand for more sustainable products. Conventional polymers contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, worsening climate change and environmental degradation. The production of fossil-based polymers alone is expected to contribute over 1.34 gigatons of CO2 equivalent by 2030, making the industry a major source of emissions.
At the same time, harmful chemicals, such as Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and phthalates, are prevalent in plastics and coatings, causing environmental and health concerns. These chemicals persist in ecosystems and contaminate groundwater, posing long-term risks to both human health and the environment.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
