Plastic is now circulating in Finland. As a concrete example of circular economy in action, the first Finnish circular bag ESSI, made from post-consumer materials, is launched and will be available in K-Group stores as of today.
– From the material processed by Ekokem we have developed the circular bag ESSI. It is the most environmentally friendly carrier bag alternative for carrying groceries from store to home, says Amerplast CEO Børge Kvamme.
- Finland is a forerunner in sustainability and reducing the consumption of plastic bags is a strong example of that. From the post-consumer material processed by Ekokem, we have developed a circular economy based carrier bag ESSI which is an ecological alternative for conventional plastic bags.
A Finn carries responsibly
– Today we have in place the necessary infrastructure for recycling, reuse and manufacture of circular bags. Finnish people can already leave the conventional plastic carrier bags behind them, Kvamme promises.
– The separate collection of consumer packaging waste started last year in Finland in RINKI eco take-back points and this is a concrete step towards circular economy for us all. Separately collected and valuable plastics are recycled back to the plastic industry as a raw material via Ekokem’s Plastic Refinery. Plastic recycling is a great opportunity not only for companies but also for the society and the environment. Valuable materials are circulating and nothing goes to waste, says Head of Recycling & Energy at Ekokem Kalle Saarimaa.
– Separately collected plastics from households is being processed with the latest technology as high-quality CIRCO® recyclates in Ekokem’s Plastic Refinery in Riihimäki, Finland for the manufacture of recycled plastic products, Saarimaa continues.
Why ESSI is the better choice?
The carbon footprint of carbon neutral ESSI is significantly smaller than of other carrier bags’: plastic, paper, cotton, biodegradable plastic bags or recycled plastic bags (containing 60% recycled material). ESSI circular bag contains more than 90% recycled materials.
The use of recycled plastics significantly reduces the use of virgin raw materials. Recycling of the plastics also degreases the greenhouse gas emissions. This makes ESSI the best choice for the environment.
– We are very happy with the cooperation with K-group. We provide the consumers with the most environmentally friendly alternative and we believe that other responsible retailers will follow the example, Kvamme concludes.
– K-Group as a responsible company wants to be in the fore front to promote the circular economy model and introduce new circular economy products. At the same time we want to offer our customers the possibility to reduce their plastic bag consumption and encourage them to recycle plastics. There are already 161 RINKI eco take-back points collecting plastics in connection with K-Group stores, says Timo Jäske Sustainability Manager, Kesko's grocery trade.
Download product and production pictures of ESSI circular bag here
For more information:
Børge Kvamme
CEO, Amerplast
+358 (0)10 214 2275
borge [dot] kvamme [at] amerplast [dot] com
Kalle Saarimaa
Head of Recycling & Energy, Ekokem Oyj
+358 (0)10 755 1585
kalle [dot] saarimaa [at] ekokem [dot] com
Timo Jäske
Sustainability Manager, Kesko's grocery trade
+358 (0)50 529 2028
timo [dot] jaske [at] kesko [dot] fi
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Amerplast
Amerplast founded in 1952 is a forerunner in sustainable packaging solutions. One of the largest flexo printers and bag converters in Europe manufactures high-performance flexible packaging for fast moving consumer goods for both food and non-food categories. With AmerGreen program Amerplast is taking the leading position in transforming the industry into an environmentally sound business. Amerplast is the market leader in carrier bags in Finland and the company’s bag solutions are based on the use of recycled materials in line with circular economy model.