Woodly – made of wood, looks like plastic

Why not make a replacement for plastic from the material you know best? In the case of Finnish start-up Woodly, that material was wood. The idea was to develop a raw material from wood cellulose that would be at least as environmentally friendly as paper while also being as transparent, flexible and efficient as conventional plastic.

After five years of brainstorming, the first results were obtained. Since 2022, the young business has been selling a cellulose polymer primarily to customers in the food sector. These customers are located in Finland, Denmark, Norway, Japan and the United Arab Emirates and use the solution to package bread, rolls, croissants and cakes. “The material meets 100% of the requirements of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA),” says Christoph Schiller, Vice President Sales and Marketing.

“Baked goods in the Woodly packaging have a greater chance of actually being sold and eaten. This reduces rejects and waste of valuable resources,” the packaging specialist emphasises.

The problem with standard plastics in use today such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE): When packaging fresh food, for example, a bread roll with fresh lettuce and cheese “breathes” inside its film wrap. Biological processes such as the maturation and exchange of gases inside the pack are responsible. Lettuce leaves and cheese also contain living micro-organisms and enzymes that continue to engage in metabolic processes. In addition, the salad can release moisture. The bread roll effectively fights against the PP or PE barrier. Condensation forms inside the packaging. As a result, the roll ends up looking anything but appetising and will probably remain on the shelf until it is thrown out. Even if the sell-by date has not yet passed.

“Woodly material breathes along, and excess moisture evaporates from the packaging. The product stays fresh longer and looks good,” says Schiller. “A key factor is that packaged food actually gets sold. Our customers and analyses confirm the result, which extends shelf life by up to 40%.”

Although Woodly packaging is more expensive than conventional plastic materials, using it pays off for users. Longer-lasting and appetising-looking sandwiches, croissants and slices of cake reduce waste. Fewer rejects mean that expensive ingredients such as butter, eggs and other valuable items used in baking do not go to waste. Ultimately, this means the innovative substitute material for plastic ensures food quality and increases efficiency from a business standpoint. Last but not least, the quality of packaged food to go may even enhance a bakery or supermarket’s reputation, because their product display looks appealing and customers know “what I buy here doesn’t just look good, it always tastes good too.”

To date, sandwiches in Germany for instance have been sitting “naked” in the deli counter relative to other countries. By contrast, they are sold as packaged items in Finland and the United Kingdom. “Aside from considerations of hygiene, unpackaged bread rolls tend to dry out and end up in the bin sooner,” says Schiller. “Especially in bakery chains, far too many rolls are thrown away at the end of the day. This is a shame when it comes to the valuable resources and is far from sustainable.”

A Woodly customer in Finland – a petrol station chain – makes the following practical calculation: “We sell an average of 500 sandwiches per day per location. Before switching to Woodly, around 10% of sandwiches were thrown away at the end of the day. Now most of them are sold. So we spend about €15 more on packaging each day at each petrol station, but we have a profit of between €50 and €60 from additional sandwiches sold.”

However, Woodly has not yet been able to entirely avoid using fossil resources. They act as binding agents between the polymer building blocks and modify cellulose to alter its mechanical properties. This means that fossil resources are used, for example, in stabilisers to make cellulose polymers more flexible, durable or chemically resistant.

The reason for relying on this solution comes currently down to pricing. Purely biological packaging materials are more expensive than conventional plastics. But the goals within the company are clearly defined.

“We are continuously increasing the bio-based content and are already carbon-neutral with our material,” Schiller is proud to report. The company has a lofty vision: The ambitious team wants to help prevent 100 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in ten years. “We’re not only thinking big in this regard, but we’re heading into the future at full throttle,” adds the marketing VP.

The cellulose polymer has received a two-star certification from TÜV Austria, which indicates 40 to 60% bio-based content. Currently, the aim is to achieve a three-star certification, which means being 60 to 80% bio-based.

Woodly’s success story began with a bag for bread rolls. There are now paper laminates, paper bags with windows and flowpacks. Flowpacks are flexible packaging solutions with an airtight seal used for food, cosmetics and other consumer goods.

For most customers, Woodly supplies the cellulose-based bio-granulate for the production of their own packaging or end products, which they make using their own machinery.

The cellulose polymer is offered in different grades, i.e. in various modified forms with different properties for different applications.

There are cellulose polymers with different molecular weights, for instance. The molecular weight affects the viscosity, solubility and mechanical properties of the polymer.

The purity of the material can also vary depending on the application. For example, food packaging requires particularly pure cellulose polymers, as they come into direct contact with food. They must be free of impurities such as heavy metals, toxic chemicals or micro-organisms that could contaminate the food.

Another criterion for material properties such as density, strength and stability is the crystallinity of the polymers. In addition to food packaging, reusable cups are also made from Woodly’s raw material. These must be heat-resistant, stable and food-safe.

Woodly wants to help make the world a little bit better. The start-up staff’s big dream aligns with the circular economy model. The aim here is to keep resources in use for as long as possible, minimise waste, and reuse or recycle materials and products at the end of their life.

The model is still a mere prospect for the future. But without someone dreaming, nothing can change. The material’s design now allows it to be incorporated into the existing loop without damaging it. Packaging is still being incinerated – even most Woodly packaging. “Our material not only releases less CO2 during the manufacturing process – if burned at the end of its life, it also produces 33% less CO2 than fossil resources,” says Schiller. “Woodly is designed to be detected by near-infrared. Our vision is to have our own waste stream in which our material is recycled up to five times.” 

Although there are still many hurdles to overcome, the start-up’s trajectory is inexorably pointing towards success. Sales are continuously increasing, and sales markets are expanding. New ideas for products made of cellulose polymer are on the agenda – toys, laboratory utensils, tools and cosmetic packaging solutions are in the planning stage. Major partners have been recruited for research and development projects – an important prerequisite for bringing new items into existing market structures.

Unconventional concepts and ground-breaking approaches require people to pull together to achieve change. Organisations with creative minds and sustainable thinking have joined forces as part of the SAVE FOOD platform. Woodly is also a member of this initiative: “We see this platform as a great opportunity to combat food waste along with other global players, to formulate new ideas and to forge ahead with solutions,” states Schiller.

The committed packaging specialist describes what drives him personally: “Food waste generates CO2 emissions during production, transport, decomposition in landfills, and production of wasted resources such as water, energy and soil use. In Germany alone, we throw 78 kilograms of food in the bin per person per year. Around 40% of the world’s food is wasted, while three million people in Germany alone and 10% of the world's population are not well-fed. If food waste were a country with its own CO2 emissions, it would be ranked the third-highest environmental offender right after the United States and China.

The fight against food waste starts on a small scale. Every non-discarded bread roll makes an important contribution to greater sustainability. Each and every individual has a part to play in terms of social responsibility here. Woodly is taking action to make a significant difference with its made-from-wood packaging concept.