Stora Enso and its partner Alucha Recycling Technologies have been granted the ‘Best of the Best’ LIFE Environment Project award for 2010. This award is granted by the European Union to recognise projects that have a positive impact on the environment. Stora Enso and Alucha Recycling Technologies received the award for developing and investing in innovative recycling technology in Stora Enso’s Barcelona Mill. The new technology separates plastic-aluminium laminate from recovered beverage cartons by a process that enables both fibre and aluminium to be fully reused, and the plastic to be utilised to generate energy in the mill.

Selections of favourable projects were made by the representatives of EU Member States working in co-operation with the European Commission’s DG Environment LIFE Unit to produce a shortlist of projects for the award.

“Fibre-based beverage cartons are a great packaging product because it is a natural material with a low carbon footprint that comes from renewable resources and it is highly recyclable,” explains Mats Nordlander, Executive Vice President at Stora Enso Packaging. “We are continuously working to enhance the recycling of our products, and look for innovative ways to reduce our environmental footprint. This is why we are especially proud of this recognition from the EU.”

Stora Enso’s Barcelona Mill receives used milk and juice cartons from Spain, France, Portugal and the UK which are used as raw material for the production of white lined chipboard, a carton grade based on recovered fibre used in various packaging applications.