Sweden-based packaging technology company Yangi has raised SEK 40 million (around €3.61 million) from the Swedish Energy Agency’s Pilot and Demonstration Programme to accelerate its work in fibre-based sustainable packaging.
The Eskilstuna-headquartered agency, which is a government body dedicated to driving renewable energy and tackling climate change, awarded the funding to help Yangi construct its first large-scale demonstration plant. The project is seen as a major step towards the global commercialisation of the firm’s packaging technology.
Founded in 2014 by Anna Altner, Yangi has been developing Cellera, a dry-forming technology that shapes cellulose into 3D packaging without the water-intensive processes used in conventional production. The technique, rooted in Danish research from the 1990s, has been refined and scaled up by Yangi over the past decade into what it describes as a viable industrial solution.
According to the company, Cellera operates without added process water and requires significantly less energy than wet moulding, enabling up to a 70% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to traditional packaging methods. The system transforms cellulose pulp into fibre-based packaging using airlaid fibre processing combined with dry-forming techniques, producing packaging compatible with existing recycling infrastructure.
Yangi highlights that its approach “eliminates process water use, consumes 75% less energy than wet moulding, and cuts CO₂ emissions by 70% compared to plastic packaging.” The platform is designed for continuous production with consistent output, rapid changeovers, and minimal staffing needs, making it both scalable and cost-efficient.
The company emphasises the environmental advantages of its technology, noting that it runs on 100% renewable, FSC-certified fibres. Yangi positions Cellera as an alternative to thermoformed plastics and wet-moulded fibre packaging, which it argues are limited either by their fossil-based nature or by slower production speeds and resource-heavy requirements.
Beyond efficiency, the technology supports advanced design capabilities, including laminated barriers, customised formulations, embossing, debossing and undercut packaging. Ongoing developments are focused on expanding shape complexity, creating deeper-formed products, and offering printed or coloured surfaces. Yangi is also working on packaging that extends shelf life, aimed at making fibre-based solutions competitive with plastic in durability.
Yangi is targeting multiple industries with its solutions. In takeaway food and single-use items, it offers a fibre-based substitute to plastic containers. For beauty and cosmetics, the firm enables customised designs that enhance branding and product visibility. In consumer electronics, it provides protective yet sustainable packaging with flexible surface finishes.
The company says dry forming brings additional benefits over other methods, including faster cycle times, improved material efficiency, and flexible production setups. It continues to partner with manufacturers to develop new applications and bring fibre-based packaging closer to mass-market use.
With the Swedish Energy Agency backing its first full-scale demonstration plant, Yangi aims to move closer to industrial roll-out, advancing what it sees as the future of sustainable packaging.
