Plastic has properties that makes it challenging to fully substitute, especially when looking at the food and drinks packaging industry. As such, Stora Enso has launched FuraCore, a 100 per cent bio-based alternative to petroleum-based PET.

Plastic has properties that makes it challenging to fully substitute, especially when looking at the food and drinks packaging industry. As such, Stora Enso has launched FuraCore, a 100 per cent bio-based alternative to petroleum-based PET.
Scientists have been looking for feasible bio-based alternatives to PET and other fossil-based plastics. One of the options is via furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), an organic chemical compound that occurs in nature.
FDCA is the key building block for bio-based plastics such as PEF, it can be applied to a wide variety of industrial applications, including bottles, food packaging, textiles, carpets, electronic materials, and automotive parts.
To get the most out of this material, Stora Enso has been developing FuraCore to produce FDCA.
“It has all the features that society would like to see today. It is bio-based, there are great barrier characteristics, and it can fit in the existing recycling structure. It is safe to say we have a plastic that has the potential to be a game changer in the packaging industry,” Stora Enso emerging business, division biomaterials vice-president Dirk den Ouden said.
He addressed the benefits of PEF.
“When thinking about the benefits that bio-based plastic brings out, people tend to focus on the environmental aspects, which, indeed, are promising. Firstly, it is not produced from crude oil. Instead, its ingredients are derived from growing plants. Not only do these grow back after harvesting, they also absorb carbon dioxide during their growth,” he said.
“The material itself also shows significant advantages fo