Colorado-based industrial hemp company element6 Dynamics and German molded fiber packaging manufacturer Papacks announced Tuesday that they have formed a joint venture called Renw. The new company will focus on producing environmentally friendly molded fiber packaging from industrial hemp.
Renw is headquartered in New York and plans to build 10 regional production sites in rural areas of the United States. The company will work closely with local farmers to use industrial hemp as a rotational crop and deliver it as raw material directly to the fully integrated manufacturing plant. At present, Renw has initially selected four potential factory locations and plans to launch the operation of the first production base in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Kimberly Kovach, CEO of Renw and element6 Dynamics, said the company expects to produce 30 tons of hemp pulp per day per plant. She emphasized that the original intention of Renw's cooperation with Papacks was to "eliminate plastic and minimize the dependence of packaging and consumer products on forest resources."
Kovacs detailed the significant environmental advantages of replacing tree fibers with industrial hemp. She noted that hemp is renewable and can sequester large amounts of carbon into the soil. In addition, hemp fiber requires less bleach during production and produces significantly lower CO2 equivalents per ton of pulp produced compared to traditional kraft pulping processes. What's more, hemp pulping technology is completely sulfur-free and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 50%.
Kovacs also revealed that Renw will license technology from Papacks and e6D. Both parties will jointly support the operations of the new joint venture, while Papacks will continue to independently develop its business in the United States. She emphasized that the two companies will share intellectual property rights and provide full support for Renw's establishment of a factory in the United States. "Our two companies will continue to work closely together to drive Renw's success."
She pointed out that Papacks has four large-scale molded fiber factories in Europe, "capable of both R&D and production, which allows us to meet the urgent needs of brand customers in advance before officially opening our first factory in the United States. "Each of Renw's factories is expected to employ approximately 50 people and be equipped with six production lines capable of producing a wide range of custom molded fiber products. Renw plans to expand its business into shipping pallets and containers, disposable coffee pods, cosmetic packaging, and dairy packaging such as yogurt.