Walki Group has invested in Finnish start-up The Paper Lid Company (‘TPLC’). TPLC’s sustainable paper lid manufacturing site in Masku, Finland, is ready for scaling up production volumes supported by Walki’s material conversion and printing capabilities.
End users of hot and cold cup lids are increasingly looking for alternatives to replace plastic lids with more sustainable solutions. While the use of plastic lids has not yet been widely banned by regulation, restaurants, coffee chains, retailers and others are already taking action to transition away from single-use plastic lids.
TPLC has developed a unique way of manufacturing high-quality recyclable paper lids. The lid developed by TPLC fits firmly to the cup, has a pleasant touch and feel, can be custom printed and comes at a competitive price compared to plastic alternatives. The raw material for the lids is produced with dispersion coating technology which makes the lid recyclable in paper waste streams.
Walki’s startup investment initiative Walki Ventures has invested in TPLC and established a strategic partnership to support TPLC in implementation of the ambitious growth plan the founders have laid out. Walki will support TPLC in several areas, including development of recyclable raw material for the lids and printing services for custom and single-color printed lids. TPLC will also become a member of Walki’s R&D Community, helping the company to articulate sustainability benefits towards the customers in a fact-based manner.
“We are very excited to partner with Walki and get access to the resources that come with this partnership. Raw material plays a very important role both in our production process and quality of the end product. With Walki’s material know-how, printing capabilities and other support, we are ready to start supplying the market in larger scale”, says Matti Salonoja, CEO and co-founder of TPLC.