Press kit
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World premiere for Parupu
Södra has developed a chair made of pulp in collaboration with design and architect firm Claesson Koivisto Rune. The chair has its world premiere at the furniture fair in Milan.
Parupu is a chair for children. A unique material makes the chair durable and waterproof, as well as fully compostable. To suit its young target group, it is also colourful, stackable and made for fun and games. Parupu lasts roughly the length of a childhood and can then be recycled.
The chair is made from the material DuraPulp, a result of several years’ research and development. The objective was to develop a material with a paper like feel, but with durability normally associated with materials like steel, wood or hard plastic.
Design and architect firm Claesson Koivisto Rune has, in conjunction with Södra and research company STFI Packforsk, experimented and tested the suitability of the material for use in a tough and practical chair for children.
"Parupu has more or less designed itself – under our supervision. We have added our skills and experience and combined them with the technical possibilities of the material," says Mårten Claesson.
DuraPulp is a composite material that consists of pulp and PLA, a biodegradable plastic based on maize starch. The material can be moulded and formed. It can in many cases replace oil-based plastic, but also opens up for completely new products.
"Parupu is the first product made from this type of material, which is based entirely on renewable cellulose and a renewable polyester form starch," says Karin Emilsson, director of technology and R&D manager at Södra. "DuraPulp is also suitable for production of quality packaging and labels, and runs very well in a normal paper machine. Our hope is that the chair will create interest and ideas amongst our existing customers as well as leading to discussions with new customer groups and new markets," she says.
On www.sodrapulplabs.com you can follow the entire development process behind Parupu, along with some of the other projects within Södra’s R&D department. Pulp Labs is a platform where Södra openly shares its challenges with customers and visitors. The objective is to find new ideas for future pulp products – for existing Södra customers as well as for completely new industries.
For further information, please contact:
Joakim Nygren, Project manager, Pulp Labs, +46 70 777 1220, joakim.nygren@sodra.com
Per Braconier, Director of Communications, Södra, +46 70 534 5166, per.braconier@sodra.com
Patrick Coan, Designer, Claesson Koivisto Rune, +46 8 644 5863, all@ckr.se
Mikael Linsdtröm, Research Manager STFI-Packforsk, +46 7687674 33, mikael.lindstrom@stfi.se
