Södra Cell begins commercial production of DuraPulp

Production of the new composite material DuraPulp is now beginning at Södra Cell in Värö. This new biodegradable and renewable material has huge potential as an alternative to plastic. DuraPulp has been in the spotlight for a couple of years within Södra because of its exciting combination of a renewable, biodegradable material which is also very strong. A lamp and a children's chair have already been made out of DuraPulp attracting huge interest, and commercial production of the new composite has now begun.  "A large number of companies have been in touch and are interested in this material. We are currently working with a number of partners who are testing DuraPulp as part of their production processes," said Henrik Wettergren, Business Area Manager for graphic paper and speciality paper.DuraPulp is the result of several years of collaboration between Södra and the research company Innventia. The starting point for the work was to create a new, fibre-based material which could be a biodegradable alternative to plastic.DuraPulp is made up of a specially selected pulp from Södra Cell and a biopolymer. On further processing, these two components take on special properties such as moisture resistance, strength and hardness.DuraPulp was exhibited for the first time at the Milan Furniture Fair in 2009 as part of the Parupu children's chair developed by design company Claesson Koivisto Rune. The latter has also used DuraPulp to create its award-winning w101 lamp.