Our Mission – A Mutual Challenge
We humans have a daunting task to resolve the challenges of transforming our societies, industries and basically our way of life towards sustainability and according to nature and avoiding crossing the so called planetary boundaries. In order to avoid this fate, companies have committed to achieving their sustainability goals outlined in the UN’s Agenda 2030 and the Paris Accord (COP 21). Global warming and biodiversity loss is driving legislation and investment toward green technologies, as evidenced by the recent COP15 summit. Companies have few years left until 2030 to reduce green house gases emissions substantially.
Most greenhouse gas emissions come from material extraction, resource management and design choices. This is where 80% of their environmental impact is determined. The corporate world is therefore hunting for more locally sourced, sustainable bio materials to replace environmentally problematic materials such as plastics, glass fibres and metals. Companies wish for stable and large enough volumes of sustainable resources that can be secured over time in a financially volatile and geopolitically problematic global market. Why resource management and sustainability now go hand in hand with any strategic agenda and viewed as risk management within corporate strategies and governance.
These are the main SDGs we’re working towards at PaperShell.
However, the demand for sustainable materials such as bioplastics, recycled plastics, and natural fibre composites far exceeds the supply. In the case of bioplastics, the environmental impact is in question as they often compete with farmland needed for food production. The yield is low, and the logistical chains are long. Recycled materials on the other hand, are struggling with traceability, contamination from foreign materials such as flame retardants, softeners, and other additives. Furthermore, only a small portion of plastics and hardly any of the fibre composites are recycled back into the loop within the EU. There is a clear increase in mixed materials with combinations between for example plastics and environmentally friendly materials, but they seldom reduce the amount of fossil-based content with more than 50%, and recycling becomes problematic or impossible when one material group is blended with another. This demand-supply gap makes it hard for middle management to fulfill sustainability commitments made by top management within large corporations.
The green gold
The forest industry and agro-waste streams are the only two viable resources large enough to support the resource demand of bio-based material solutions. To achieve a bio-based circular economy using these two valuable resources, must be treated with uppermost care and understanding as “doing less a bad is not to doing good”. Instead of making single use items such as paper straws or packaging material or worst turning forests into biofuel is leading to deforestation and is raising strong concerns from the sustainability societies.
Towards a circular bio economy
PaperShell aims to lead and for our clients enable the transition towards a Circular Bio Economy, aligning with global sustainability frameworks (Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), COP15, COP21, Planetary Boundaries etc) aiming for carbon net-zero objectives and beyond.
At PaperShell, we are dedicated to building paper back into an artificial and high tech wood creating strong load bearing components. An advanced version of structural origami that store bio-carbon instead of wasting trees and plants on single-use items or biofuels. We’re taking a pioneering role in the transformation towards a local and circular biobased society. Our innovations and processes produce long lasting, technically advanced and aesthetically pleasing high value components. Enabling our clients to replace their materials in existing or new products. Helping them achieve targets and metrics, so they can communicate and brand, commitment and tangible traction on sustainability and transition towards a circular bio economy.
“Circular economy as an industrial economy that is restorative or regenerative by value and design”
How the Ellen MacArthur Foundation defines the circular economy
We want to act as a catalyst and set new global standards for ecological and interconnected industrial practices. We aspire to align our economic-industrial model with established circular economy principles such as those advocated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Doughnut Economy and most importantly pay respect and find inspiration in nature’s 3.8 billion years of bio intelligence.
PaperShell Information Package
How to reduce your emission (CO2e) with up to 98%: Key metrics when replace glass fibre, aluminum or plastic with PaperShell
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