The finalists of the competition for start-up companies at Pulp & Beyond 2024 are Aisti Oy, Carboreal Oy and Fiberdom Oy. The competition highlights new and significant solutions in the field of forest bioeconomy, and the winner will be awarded the 10,000 € Pulp & Beyond Award funded by the Finnish Fair Foundation. The international forest industry professional event Pulp & Beyond 2024 will be held 10.–11.4.2024 at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre, and the start-up competition will take place on 10.4. at 2 pm at Speakers Corner.
The start-up competition seeks the most promising and potential growth companies in the forest bioeconomy. The Pulp & Beyond Award is awarded to a Finnish company that has developed an innovation that creates a positive image for the forest bioeconomy sector and can develop into an internationally significant product or service. At its best, the solution also opens new perspectives in the forest bioeconomy sector.
The competition is organized by the Pulp & Beyond event in cooperation with the Finnish Association of Forest Products Engineers. The jury selected three companies to pitch their products to the event. When selecting the winner, the innovativeness and originality of the business idea, the market potential of the product, the credibility of the business plan and its implementation, as well as the pitch itself are considered. The winner will be determined after the pitches on 10.4. at 2 pm.
Aisti Oy: Aisti acoustic tile
Buildings are currently responsible for 39 % of global energy-related carbon emissions. It's a sobering statistic that demands action. Current construction materials that are used in suspended ceilings of all non-residential buildings are simply not sustainable, and the demand for ecological solutions is louder than ever before. We developed a patented ultra-low density fire-retardant foam material, suitable for production of board-like products for many different applications such as acoustic tiles, thermal insulation products windshield panels and package cushions. In the wet-laid process, cellulose CTMP fibers are mixed with water and foaming agent to produce the board-like material to be dried, formed. The board is then cut, coated, or laminated to form the final product.
Carboreal Oy: Carbon offset solutions, Afforestation projects, Carbon footprint assessments, Consulting and training
Who? All CO2 emitters, organizations, cities, countries aiming to become carbon neutral. Which need? Contribute to combating climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide emissions while supporting the forest heritage of Finland and other countries. Carboreal helps companies and organizations offset their CO2 emissions with unique afforestation solutions to efficiently mitigate the effects of climate change. We provide sustainable solutions to the challenges of climate change. We offer companies the opportunity to actively participate in offsetting their carbon dioxide emissions. The core of our business is afforestation. We use a scientifically developed calculation tool based on nine main factors, ensuring the additionality, permanence, and verifiability of carbon sequestration. Our afforestation projects not only promote carbon sequestration, but also increase the resilience and biodiversity of the ecosystem, planting spruce and pine trees and preserving natural occurring hardwoods. Our projects are located on wastelands and each client knows exactly which area is sequestering emissions. We also offer financial services for investors interested in the carbon offset market.
Fiberbom Oy: Pulp based single use cutlery and tableware which is home compostable and recyclable with cardboard materials
The Single Use Plastics directive banned the use of plastics and products containing plastic for use in single use cutlery and related tableware. The only solution has been wood-based ones imported from China with bad user experience or some poor performance paper ones which contain a barrier which is against the SUP directive. We have developed a fully bio based single use cutlery which is based on Nordic Kraft cellulose pulp combined with a novel and patented biobased and food approved chemistry to provide a fully home compostable, recyclable solution with a super smooth feel and superior strength both in dry and wet conditions but has no barrier or film. The technology can reincorporate process side stream back into the production leading to very low waste.
The start-up competition is now being held for the fourth time. The previous competition held in 2022 was won by Montinutra, which uses sawdust as a raw material to produce Kuusikumi™ extract for use in cosmetics, technical chemistry, and even the food industry. As part of the start-up competition, we will hear how the last winning company has fared. The start-up competition jury includes Atte Virtanen (VTT), Katariina Kemppainen (Metsä Group), Jenny Müller-Wahlman (Stora Enso), Ville Leminen (LUT), Antti Lindqvist (PI), and Marcus Bergström (Messukeskus).
The Pulp & Beyond 2024 Conference (450 € + VAT) will be held on Tuesday, April 9th, 2024, at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre.