Klabin invests R$ 40 million in technology to improve the application of sustainable barrier in paperboard

In line with its commitment to launch increasingly more sustainable solutions in the market, Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of paper for packaging and paper packaging, has announced investments of R$ 40 million in the technology employed to apply dispersible barrier in the paperboard used to produce diverse types of packaging present in everyday life. The solution, which offers a barrier to water, water vapor and grease directly at the mill and is available on an industrial scale, retains the original recycling and composting characteristics of paper, while offering a more sustainable alternative to the options currently available.

The investment will be used to modernize a coating machine at the Monte Alegre Unit, whose annual production capacity will be increased to up to 60,000 tons. The major differential offered by the solution applied to paperboard is that it is dispersible which, apart from eliminating the use of additional packaging or application of additional coating, significantly increases the potentially positive impacts of packaging.

“Klabin has been investing in sustainable barriers for over 10 years, having consolidated its market niche through solutions such as Klafold FZ and Klafold GB, which obviate the application of plastic associated with paperboard to create a barrier. The investment in modernizing this machine expands the markets that we can serve, which include chilled/frozen foods (pizzas, nuggets, hamburgers, meat, fish, sausages), industrial foods (proteins, broth, cookies), detergent powder, paper cups and more sophisticated solutions for liquid foods, all this on a larger scale,” says Flávio Deganutti, Paper Director at Klabin.

The modernization process is being done in two stages. In the first stage, the application technology will be upgraded, while the second stage will focus on increasing production capacity and intensifying the development of new products, especially those of renewable origin. Notable among the solution’s technical differentials is the addition of the barrier at the factory itself, which enables the Company to ramp up scale. “Optimizing processes in the pursuit of sustainability involves innovation and we believe that the technological advances brought by this application model are the first step towards online application, when the barrier will be added directly at the paperboard machine,” explains Deganutti.

The investment underscores Klabin’s long-term vision of becoming a global benchmark in responsible solutions that respond to the constant transformations of society with renewable, recyclable and biodegradable forest products.