Novel Technology Invites Producers to unFOLD Sustainability

The following article is excerpted from the March/April issue of Paper360° and is being shared here with AOTC readers interested in sustainable paper and packaging innovations. Access the full article, or the entire March/April issue, on TAPPI's dynamic new knowledge platform, TAPPI OnDemand.

The modern approach to sustainability considers a wide range of factors. It is no longer enough to say your product is made from sustainable materials. Production methods themselves; the equipment of production and its operation; the product's utility, marketability, and disposal; and the product's place in the circular economy—all these things contribute to a new vision of sustainability.

FOLD brings that vision to life as a machine-made roll product open to myriad combinations of material, form, and function. Developed at VTT, one of Europe’s leading research institutions, the scientists involved say that the product is ready for commercialization—and they are ready to collaborate.

"There is nothing like this yet on the market. Our challenge now is to get that ball rolling," says Jarmo Kouko, research team leader.

Conception and Development

Kouko says he was first inspired to create FOLD in 2017, after seeing scientific applications of the Miura folding technique at a conference in Lausanne, Switzerland. "I'd already been working with pilot operations and investigating paper machine drying systems. When I saw Miura fold applications, I recognized some interesting properties and thought, 'why aren't we using this for packaging?' The issue was that there was no technology, at least at large scale production in paper making."

The research team's key challenge was to design a working machine concept using paperboard material to produce FOLD at laboratory scale. "From the beginning, our target was to create a system that is unwinder based—from roll to shape—to enable large scale volumes. A few different machines existed, but we were able to get more advanced than anyone had done before," Kouko explains.

FOLD2 Steps Up the Pace

By 2023, VTT was ready for the FOLD2 phase, which focused on designing production line concepts to attract industrial investments. The multi-disciplinary approach included board production, engineering, acoustic panel production, production machinery and packaging line vendors, and packaging users.

No similar technology had ever reached large scale industrial production, and the team felt sure that their novel solutions would create immense potential for new business opportunities—including export potential—for consortium companies, Finnish industry, and finally a global market.

Juha Maijala is manager of technology concepts at VTT. He says it has been a long but productive journey for FOLD's partner companies. "My responsibility is to help push technologies that are on the edge of commercialization. That's where we are now with FOLD. We need to find the commercialization partners, customers, and industrial players who will take the concept forward—and I'm here to help with that.”

VTT has a model production line that runs continuously in a roll-to-roll process—a kind of folding unwinder. "It can create thin or thick products, and the results are completely repeatable. We have had national funding and support from Business Finland and the Research Council of Finland. Of course (production) needs to be scaled, but we don't see any short-term restrictions. We've reached a level where we can really fast-forward," says Maijala.

Advantages and Applications

For paper and packaging manufacturers looking to expand their market, the FOLD concept offers a lot of potential, Kouko says. "We have tested many existing paper and paperboard grades, and there are plenty of commercial materials that can quite easily be folded without cracking. Paper is a proven material for this kind of folding. Packaging was the natural first area for us to explore, given our background in bio‑based fiber materials, but we see strong potential for applying our expertise across many other material and product areas as well."

Producers don't need to start from scratch; VTT has created a variety of sample designs to spark innovation. With licensing agreements, producers themselves can decide the material, what kind of Miura fold is used, and the final application. "We have created maybe the most famous sample—our bottle cover, which has been presented in many exhibitions," Kouko says. "Companies and packaging designers can choose how they use it."

"Right now we are talking about only paper- and board-like substrates," Maijala adds. "But of course we are thinking about, say, the construction industry. What if you put layers on the top and bottom of the Miura? It becomes stiff. Our new roll-to-roll capability actually will provide better cost-strength ratio than typical honeycomb, so when you think about how much honeycomb is used in the world, we'd love to move into that space. Construction, the furniture industry—we can do a very stiff, strong, paper-based structure. We see tremendous business opportunity."

Jaakko Kuusisaari heads the sales operation for VTT's biomaterials-related research area. He suggests the product's utility is partly due to the team's approach. "We didn't start by trying to develop the paper to behave well for origami, but the other way around. We developed a technology that can produce this origami pattern using paper grades that already exist in the market or are very close.”

There are many companies looking for a way to replace fossil materials while still able to produce structures that are stiff, robust, and high performing in their intended application—for instance, materials with strong acoustic properties. FOLD offers all these benefits. “For both start-ups and bigger companies, sustainable materials is a growing area. FOLD could be their solution," Kuusisaari says.

As Kouko points out, value is also a component of sustainable production. "This product can be an opportunity for paper and board makers to increase the value of their product, simply by folding it and adapting it for different applications. From the same mass of paperboard you can get a lot more value."

Sustainable Possibilities      

True sustainability includes speed to market and creating more from less. The developers say that FOLD provides both advantages for interested partners. With research and development already done, VTT is ready for new partners to bring the product to market, anywhere in the world.

"Our standard model at VTT is to license technology forward," says Maijala. "We can work with startups, growth companies, or large corporations. We can fast-forward. This final phase is open to any market interest."

As sales lead, Kuusisaari sees openings throughout the value-chain for partners looking for innovative sustainability. "Our goal always is to have our technologies successfully commercialized,” he explains. There are many different types of companies that could be involved: those capable of producing the FOLD material or the substrates; converters who would then do converting of the brand orders; machinery builders to provide the equipment.

"We also have established a quite good supply chain network and can help in pulling together different partners or help to identify and find the partners needed to establish a new supply chain. We are in a good position with several viable paths forward, depending on what kind of company has interest in upscaling this," Kuusisaari continues.

Now Seeking Partners

If your company is interested in sustainable possibilities through FOLD, contact these VTT team members:

Jarmo Kouko, Research Team Leader:

Jarmo.Kouko@vtt.fi; +358 40 724 3809

Jaakko Kuusisaari, Solution Sales Lead, Biomaterial Processing and Products

Jaakko.Kuusisaari@vtt.fi; +358 40 501 5197

Juha Maijala, Manager, Technology Concepts:

Juha.Maijala@vtt.fi; +358 50 530 8188