AMERPLAST AND FORTUM  PRESENT A MAJOR CIRCULAR ECONOMY INITIATIVE

(Tampere 2.6.2017) Amerplast and Fortum Recycling & Waste Solutions will present a Finnish large scale circular economy initiative - the ESSI circular bag - at the World Circular Economy Forum in Helsinki, Finland on June 5-7, 2017. ESSI is a concrete example of circular economy in action. It was launched on the Finnish market in January 2017, with strong retailer support and a excellent consumer response.

The ESSI circular bag is the most favorable carrier bag alternative when it comes to CO2 emissions, the use of water and land and the consumption of non-renewable natural resources (source: Optikassi study). It is made from recycled plastic waste and is unique in that the recycled material is collected to a significant extent from Finnish households. It is carbon neutral, with a carbon footprint that is significantly smaller than that of traditional carrier bags one finds in the retail market today, including paper and cotton bags.

Separate collection of consumer packaging waste in Finland started in 2016 through RINKI eco take-back points. The valuable plastics collected are subsequently recycled and processed with the help of latest technology into CIRCO® high quality recycled plastics at Fortum Recycling & Waste Solutions Circular Economy Village, to be reused as raw material by the plastic industry.

"While there is a lot of talk about the importance of circular economy, it is truly exciting to be a part of making it a reality. Today we have in place the necessary infrastructure for the recycling and  the manufacture of circular bags from consumer waste, so we can leave other  plastic carrier bags behind us tomorrow, if we so choose", says Børge Kvamme, CEO Amerplast. "Importantly, the concept can be utilized also in other flexible packaging applications, enabling even greater progress towards environmentally more sustainable packaging."

“Finland is a forerunner in sustainability. Plastic waste collection from households and  recycling enabling the reduction of consumption of other  plastic carrier bags is an excellent example of this”, says Kalle Saarimaa, VP Recycling and Waste Solutions at Fortum. "The collection and reuse of plastics reduces impact on the climate, for example recycling takes only about 15% of the energy required in conventional plastic production", Saarimaa notes. "In addition to collection and recycling of household plastic waste, it is crucial to develop new product applications for the recycled products. Amerplast's ESSI carrier bags are an excellent example of this."

The World Circular Economy Forum 2017 at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki brings together recognized experts, opinion leaders and decision makers in the field and features best circular economy solutions across the world. 

For additional information, please contact:

Børge Kvamme  Kalle Saarimaa
CEO, Amerplast       VP, Recycling and Waste Solutions, Fortum
Tel. +358 (0)10 214 2275Tel. +358 (0)10 755 1585
borge.kvamme@amerplast.com   kalle.saarimaa@fortum.com

Release photographs: http://www.amerplast.com/about-us/media/essi-circular-bag/
Amerplast news: http://www.amerplast.com/about-us/company/news/
Amerplast media page: http://www.amerplast.com/about-us/media/
Amerplast Circular Economy Bags: http://www.amerplast.com/retail/circular-economy-bags/
Twitter: @amerplast
LinkedIn: Amerplast

More about World Circular Economy Forum:

https://www.sitra.fi/en/projects/world-circular-economy-forum-2017/#wcef2017

About Amerplast

Amerplast, founded in 1952, is one of Europe's largest flexo printers and bag converters and a leader in innovative packaging solutions, manufacturing high-performance flexible packaging for fast moving consumer goods for both food and non-food categories. The company plays a key role in consumer goods categories such as retail bags, bakery, fresh and frozen food, consumer tissue and personal care. Amerplast is a forerunner in transforming the flexible packaging industry into an environmentally sound business. With manufacturing plants in Finland and Poland and sales offices in Sweden, Russia and Germany, Amerplast employs around 430 people and sells to customers in more than twenty five countries. www.amerplast.com

About Fortum

Fortum is a leading clean-energy company that provides its customers with electricity, heating and cooling as well as smart solutions to improve resource efficiency. We want to engage our customers and society to join the change for a cleaner world. We employ some 8,000 professionals in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Russia, Poland and India, and 62% of our electricity generation is CO2 free. In 2016, our sales were EUR 3.6 billion. Fortum's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. www.fortum.com