Wastepaper race. New Stora Enso’s machine in Poland.

“We are constantly inspire new ways of thinking, and the investment in the plant in Ostrołęka is another step in the process of our transformation into a valuable player on the renewable materials market as well as a company that focuses its activities on the growing markets” – said Jouko Karvinen, CEO at Stora Enso.

The plant in Ostrołęka, belonging to the Finnish producer of cellulose materials, is the largest branch in Poland and since May it’s the most modern one in terms of producing renewable materials. It happened due to an investment of 285 mln EUR in the installation of a new machine manufacturing lightweight papers for corrugated cardboard produced utterly  from secondary fibers

The most valuable facility in the plant – MP5 machine – is characterised by the efficiency of 455 thousand tones of the product per year as well as reduced power consumption, which makes the factory in Ostrołęka a leader in establishing European standards for the production costs and the product offerings. “The consumers’ demand for modern, lightweight corrugated packaging is rapidly increasing. Central and Eastern European markets are predicted to be steadily increasing by 5% every year. Owing to the new MP5 machine we are going to strengthen our position in the area of growing Central and Eastern European markets, supporting simultaneously our strategy of packaging production development” – explained Mats Nordlander, Vice President at Stora Enso Renewable Packaging. This investment will support the company’s integrated network of collecting waste paper in Poland, which consists of waste collection depots and sorting stations across the country as well as a new power plant fed in 50% by biofuel. The raw material collected by the company is cleaned from waste, formed into bales and eventually converted into carboard boxes and packaging in the paper plant in Ostrołęka. “To some people waste paper seems to be related only to colourful garbage. Yet, this material drives enormous machinery producing papers for corrugated cardboard. True recycling is something more than just sorting. Its essence is that new and fully functional products are manufactured from waste materials” – summarised Jerzy Janowicz, director of the plant in Ostrołęka.