The company says the first commercial products are ready in the micro-fibrillated cellulose (MFC) business.
Brand protection & tamper evidence apps
The development will focus on integrating RFID (Radio frequency identification) into packages for consumer engagement and supply chain purposes.
The collaboration will also focus on brand protection and the development of tamper evidence applications
Marko Hakovirta, SVP Innovation, Stora Enso, told FoodProductionDaily it has been developing different kinds of intelligent products for a number of years helping customers with their specific needs, in areas of supply chain improvements or brand enhancement.
“We are now entering the next phase in the development roadmap and want to work with world class partners such as NXP,” he said.
“There are several concepts we are looking at and the final product depends on the brand owners and customers’ needs.
“If you look at our mission to connect renewable fiber based packaging to the internet of things you can imagine the opportunities and the added value to consumers and brand owners.
“Our wish is that with new intelligence related functionality in renewable fiber based packaging, some customers will consider replacing their existing packaging format into renewable packaging.”
By using NXP RFID technology such as near field communication (NFC) and ultra-high frequency (UHF), Stora Enso will have smart packages that can be tracked and traced through the supply chain.
The technology will also detect if a package has been tampered with en route to the consumer and for a consumer, could provide additional information and interaction through an NFC-enabled smart phone.
RFID security
Ruediger Stroh, EVP & GM Security & Connectivity and Member of the International Board of Management, NXP Semiconductors added RFID is another example of how security can be broadly implemented to protect our everyday lives.
Commercial activity started at Stora Enso’s MFC pre-commercial production plant at Imatra, Finland earlier this year. The MFC facility provides raw material for selected commercial consumer board for lighter weight packaging.
The development of MFC also focuses on source reduction and more sustainable fibre based packaging using less raw material, barrier coatings for grease and oxygen barriers. In the future, it could provide biodegradable aluminium film replacement.
The Innovation Centre will promote idea generation, design, business development and incubation. The facility is designed to host product launches and stakeholder events and there will be a prototype and sample laboratory.