New products, salvaged from leftovers of the pulp and paper industry

www.ecohelix.se

The problem: To bump up revenues, traditional pulp and paper producers are giving a second life to the waste materials they create.

The answer: Ecohelix is turning the leftover scraps of the pulp- and paper industrial process into renewable products, which it says can replace oil-based plastics and chemicals. The company’s primary target is the packaging barrier-film market where there is a need for eco-friendly bio-plastics to replace petroleum-based plastics. Not only will it create a new revenue stream for mills, it will also decrease their emissions.

The company: The company was founded by KTH student Petri Oinonen. The patent pending technology, which he developed as part of his PhD, should be market-ready in two or three years. The company has received funding form the Swedish Innovation Agency and raised some venture capital.