CMPC and Finnish startup Boreal Bioproducts sign collaboration agreement to explore new products made from forest waste

Both companies will conduct research for 18 months regarding adding wood by-products to the manufacturing process of the ingredients that make up products such as shampoo and sunscreen, among others, so that they’re biobased and free of fossil substances.

CMPC Ventures and Boreal Bioproducts® have signed a cooperation agreement, the aim of which is to explore the use of CMPC’s wood by-products in the process developed by Boreal Bioproducts for making products for the chemical and cosmetics industries. The intention here is that products like shampoo, sunscreen, and more are made based on new biobased ingredients rather than fossil-sourced components. 

In this way, the alliance between both companies will focus on studying for 18 months the capabilities of CMPC’s wood by-products – which are derived from the handling of chips and bark, the cellulose manufacturing process and the handling of wood in sawmills – to be part of the biobased production value chain of Boreal Bioproducts.

Furthermore, the entire production process of Boreal Bioproducts is based entirely on the use of water as a solvent and renewable energy sources, which means the environmental impacts are reduced to the extent possible.

“We are happy to begin this collaboration with CMPC. This is an excellent opportunity to scale our technology to new geographies and raw materials beyond the Nordic boreal forest areas. Sawmill and pulp byproducts are abundant, so they have high growth potential. Beyond raw materials, we emphasize the co-application and commercial development of new biomaterials, which is the general hurdle facing all bio-based innovations,” says Jaakko Pajunen, CEO of Boreal Bioproducts from Finland. 

Likewise, CMPC Ventures Manager Bernardita Araya said, “This is a great opportunity for CMPC Ventures to collaborate with Boreal Bioproducts in view of the high potential of new sustainable technology that can be integrated into the forestry industry’s value chain, adding more value to existing by-products. We have a shared vision of being pioneers in extracting maximum value from our forest resources. We’ll have a dedicated team working with Boreal Bioproducts to explore their technology, complementing our capabilities in optimizing biomass utilization and making the most of the numerous synergies towards the development of more sustainable products”.

Boreal Bioproducts

Boreal Bioproducts® – Montinutra Ltd Boreal Bioproducts is a biorefinery startup based in Finland. Its mission is to convert forestry industry byproducts into valuable ingredients for the personal care and chemical industries, facilitating the transition to the bioeconomy. The growing ingredient offering consists of SpruceSugar™ polysaccharides, SpruceLigno™ lignins, SpruceFiber™ specialty fibers, SpruceGlue™ phenolic oligosaccharides and SpruceTanning™ tannin-rich polyphenols. www.borealbioproducts.com

CMPC Ventures

CMPC is a multi-national company that produces solid wood, pulp, paper, and packaging products from certified and renewable forests. Founded in 1920 in Chile, it has 46 production facilities and 22 commercial offices in the Americas, Europe and Asia. www.cmpc.com

CMPC Ventures is the corporate venture investment arm of CMPC, focused on catalyzing the development of new sustainable businesses in the medium and long terms, committed to global collaboration. It actively explores investment opportunities in sustainable and renewable materials, packaging, textile fibers, sustainable construction, new biomaterials and biochemicals from biorefineries, smart forestry, biofuels and any innovative opportunity that has a connection with its current businesses or with forests in general. www.cmpcventures.com