The Research
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The research process
In 2003, the Swedish research company STFI-Packforsk was involved in a project to find recyclable materials that could be fitted for car interiors. With pulp as a starting point, researchers looked for other organic materials that could create a durable composite material. That’s when they came across polylactic acid, or PLA, a biodegradable plastic made from maize starch or cane sugar. While the plastic wasn’t ideal for car interiors, everyone involved in the project favoured continued research on pulp and PLA composites. A new project was initiated, a collaboration between STFI-Packforsk, Södra and a number of other companies and organisations. Soon, researchers discovered that when PLA is mixed with pulp and heated to 167 degrees Celsius, the PLA encapsulates the paper fibres. The result was a material with the appearance and structure of paper, but possessing entirely different properties.
Analysis showed that the creep in the material, which determines how it is affected by temperature fluctuations and air humidity, was basically non-existent. Compared to cardboard moving boxes that collapse after a few years in the attic, a box made of this new material shouldn‘t be affected by humidity and temperature at all. The new material had a durability normally associated with steel, wood and hard plastic.
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