Helen Roush, Executive Vice President of Paperitalo Publications

There have been a lot of interesting investments announced recently.

Chilean pulp producer, Empresas CMPC SA recently announced that it is investing in a startup called Strong by Form, that seeks to replaced concrete with wood panels.

In a press release, it stated that "Strong by Form said its wood panels achieve the strength of concrete with one tenth of the weight, and also use less trees than cross laminated timber products, according to the statement."

We recently reported that Rottneros AB is investing in Blue Ocean Closures, developing proprietary fiber-based packaging materials.

The article states that "Blue Ocean Closures is leading the way in a very exciting new field with their vacuum press forming technology. At Rottneros we see this field as complementary to our work in wet moulding and exploring the opportunities within dry processes fits very well with our market strategy, says Lennart Eberleh, CEO, Rottneros AB."

We reported that Metsa Group recently announced that it is investing in a startup called Finecell, a pulp-based materials producer.

The article states that "The FineCell technology can turn pulp into added-value biomaterial that can be used both as a powder and as a water solution, i.e., a hydrogel. These can replace fossil-based chemicals in beauty and healthcare products, as well as in paints. FineCell is a spinout of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden."

We recently reported that Borregaard is investing in Kaffe Bueno, a Danish bioscience company.

The article states that "from coffee by-products, Kaffe Bueno derives active and functional ingredients which can be applied in a wide range of consumer and industrial products, including personal care, human nutrition, and agriculture. Through the described equity transactions, Kaffe Bueno has secured the necessary funding to complete the construction of their 500 tonnes per year biorefinery in the Copenhagen area. Furthermore, the funding will allow Kaffe Bueno's first commercial volumes to the market and continued development of their product portfolio."

We will keep you apprised of further developments.