The new consumer board machine BM 2 of Kotkamills Oy, the subsidiary of Kotkamills Group Oyj, has started production in Kotka, Finland. A range of folding boxboards will be produced under the brand name AEGLE and a range of food service boards under the brand name ISLA.

BM 2 has the capability to produce dispersion barrier coatings directly on the machine, producing barrier boards that can be recycled with normal paper waste due to having zero plastic content.

"The interest in our new sustainable products has been massive. The new machine offers a wide range of interesting possibilities for converters, brand owners, and designers alike. Another of the machine's unique features is the ability to produce board with a silk matte surface, providing brand owners the possibility to make their product really stand out," said Markku Hämäläinen, CEO of Kotkamills.

The Consumer Boards business will serve two main market areas. The first is the market for the production of packaging for food, confectionery, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. The second is the market for food service boards for disposable cups and plates. All products are based on Nordic fresh forest fibers and come with the unique possibility of the addition of on-machine dispersion coated barriers to replace the non-renewable plastics traditionally used.

The new machine will provide an increase to the environmental performance of the site by significantly decreasing the consumption of electricity and water compared withthe former paper production process. The consumption of water per ton of CTMP will be almost halved compared with earlier.