Arctic Paper UK managing director Simon Ricketts said the project had started two years ago and involved a 364,000 (SKr5m) investment at its Munkedals mill in Sweden.

"By using a multi-ply technique we will extend the substance range for our three main brands," he said.

To begin with this will add between 300gsm and 400gsm to the three substances range weights. Glacier will use the mill's three main brands of Amber, Arctic and Munken, and will combine coated surfaces with coated, uncoated with uncoated and coated with uncoated.

The new concept will use a mid-layer to combine up to six different layers together, and Ricketts said its main competitors would be SBS and folding boxboard products.

It will retain printability and opacity for the respective surfaces, and will have better creasing and folding properties due to its added strengths (tensile, tear, burst) from the additional bulk. The mid-layer will also consist of more fibre than normal to provide added bulk to the grade.

It will be suitable for applications such as soft covers for books, covers for dictionaries and annual reports, folders, posters and archival purposes.

Following the attainment of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for its Munken Print 15 and 18 grades, two more are set to achieve the environmental accreditation.

Munken Book, a cream shade high-bulk uncoated paper and Munken Book Extra, a white high bulk uncoated paper, are both manufactured using TCF (totally chlorine free) pulp.

Arctic Paper has also launched its Munken Corporate Papers, using Munken Pure and Munken Lynx papers. Munken Lynx is a natural white uncoated paper, while Munken Pure is a cream shade uncoated paper.

Munken Corporate Papers contains everything from business papers to labels, copy paper and magazine papers, and is available exclusively in the UK through merchant group Howard Smith Paper.

Story by Andy Scott