Strengthened strategic partnership with Nissha and material innovation startup Sulapac

Nissha Co., Ltd., a technology leader in decorative molding and sustainable materials, has entered into a financial and business partnership with the material innovation startup Sulapac Ltd. This partnership is one of Nissha’s key activities regarding its sustainability and business strategy.

Global technology leader Nissha Co., Ltd.’s customers include some of the world’s biggest and most valuable brands. In 2021, their revenue was 189,285M JPY (1,306M USD). Now, Nissha aims to boost its sales from 2020’s 180B JPY (1.24B USD) to 300B JPY (2B USD) whilst achieving a 30% reduction of total CO₂ emissions by 2030 in view of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050. Cooperation with the Finnish material innovation startup, Sulapac Ltd., is one of Nissha’s key activities regarding its sustainable growth strategy. Hence, the capital investment in Sulapac.

Sulapac was founded in 2016 to solve the global plastic waste crisis. The science-based startup has developed beautiful, functional, and sustainable materials that have all the good qualities of conventional plastics yet biodegrade without leaving permanent microplastics behind. Their innovation has received several international awards and caught the attention of high-profile brands as customers. One of Sulapac’s first trusted partners was Nissha. Their collaboration began in 2018 and prospered into the co-creation of high-quality jars for cosmetics, supplements, spices and dry foods. Appreciation for nature connected these companies, and both consider the transformation towards a circular economy a business opportunity. Sulapac’s biocomposite is a drop-in solution that is suitable for existing plastic machinery and mass production. It is bio-based, sustainably sourced, and designed to replace conventional plastics.

The Industrial Materials Business of Nissha has been globally offering decorative molded products. As global interest in sustainability is growing, Nissha has started to develop and provide “ecosense molding,” molded products made from sustainable materials such as Sulapac biocomposite and pulp instead of plastic resin. With this strengthened partnership, Nissha will expand the “ecosense” product lineups.

“Sulapac’s design principle is to mimic nature. Their materials don’t release permanent microplastics and their carbon footprint is lower compared to traditional plastics made of virgin, oil-based raw materials. Importantly, the beautiful visible wooden chips and the ceramic feel make products made of Sulapac stand out. Its aesthetics is a competitive differentiator. This strengthened partnership supports our sustainability goals and business growth”, says Alex Takashiba, Director of Business Strategy Planning, Industrial Materials Business Unit at Nissha.

“The deepened collaboration with Nissha is essential for the future of our company and our mission to save the world from plastic waste. We have high respect for their ambition to significantly replace conventional plastic with truly sustainable alternatives and the investment they have made in the transition towards a circular economy. They are an industry leader and a game-changer that has a real impact on the world,” states Dr. Suvi Haimi, CEO and Co-founder of Sulapac.

Further information

Nissha

Hiro Imai, Sales Manager of Sustainable Materials
h-imai@nissha.com, +81 75 556 0682

Henry Takahashi, Head of Corporate Communications
h-takahashi@nissha.com, +81 75 823 5139

Sulapac

Suvi Haimi, CEO and Co-Founder
suvi.haimi@sulapac.com, +358 44 029 1203

Antti Valtonen, Head of Communications
antti.valtonen@sulapac.com, +358 40 729 4793

 

About Nissha
Nissha (TSE:7915) was founded in 1929, aspired of high-quality photographic printing in Japan. Since the foundation, Nissha has been constantly attempting to improve core technologies while integrating the technological elements such as Molding and Coating, into the Printing technology we have cultivated. Now, Nissha offers a range of products and services that contribute to solving social issues, with a focus on the priority markets of medical devices, mobility, sustainable materials and IT devices, aiming to boost its sales from 2020’s 180B JPY (1.24B USD) to 300B JPY (2B USD) whilst achieving a 30% reduction of total CO2 emissions by 2030.

About Sulapac
Sulapac® is an award-winning, patented, bio-based alternative to conventional plastics. It accelerates a plastic waste-free future with sustainable materials that are beautiful and functional. Like nature. The Helsinki-based company was founded in 2016 by Dr. Suvi Haimi, Dr. Laura Tirkkonen-Rajasalo and Dr. Antti Pärssinen. Its investors include CHANEL and Sky Ocean Ventures. Sulapac was ranked one of Europe’s 100 hottest startups by WIRED UK in 2018, 2019 and 2021, and one of the Nordic startups to watch in 2021 by Sifted, backed by the Financial Times. Join the forerunners at sulapac.com. Together we can save the world from plastic waste.

 

Get to know Sulapac’s beautiful, functional and sustainable materials.