Swedish Minister for Enterprise and Innovation Mikael Damberg joined Stora Enso CEO Karl-Henrik Sundström at the official Stora Enso (Sweden) Innovation Centre inauguration last week. The Innovation Centre for biomaterials will host research, application, business development, and strategic marketing under one roof. By creating renewable solutions and products from second-generation biomass, such as wood, to replace fossil-based products, the center is addressing societal problems such as climate change, increased urbanization, and water and land use issues.

"The Innovation Centre in Stockholm is another important step on the road to Stora Enso’s transformation into a renewable materials company. It will help us build on our long, worldwide tradition in forestry, which—when coupled with access to sustainable raw materials and our expertise in fibers—gives us an excellent starting point for creating solutions that will benefit our customers and end-users in various industries and markets," said Sundström.

"Specifically, the center will help to boost innovation by identifying business opportunities in the markets for renewable materials and bio-based chemicals. We will link our own expertise with leading research centers, universities, and business partners," said Arno van de Ven, SVP, head of innovation in Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division.

Currently, there are 40 people working in the center and it is estimated that by the end of 2017 it will employ around 100 people, recruited both from inside of the company as well as externally. The Innovation Centre covers 4 900 sq. meters, with a state-of-the art laboratory area of 1 600 sq. meters, and is located in the greater Stockholm area in Nacka, Sweden.

Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division is a provider of pulp grades to meet the demands of various paper, board, and tissue producers. The offering also includes fluff for hygiene applications and dissolving pulp for the textile industry. The mission of the Biomaterials division is to find new, innovative ways to maximize the value extractable from wood, as well as other kind of lignocellulosic biomasses. Through innovation, the aim is to develop into a cost and performance differentiated renewable biochemical company offering drop-in and new materials to industries it already cooperates with and industries new to Stora Enso.