How will we consume paper in 2030, and in 2050? The main topic of this year’s Zellcheming-2015 was “Paper & Fiber World 2030 – what does the future hold?” This was a project launched in January 2014 and funded by Association of paper manufacturers (VDP) and the Federation of Paper and Plastics Confederation (HPV) and one research institute. The results of the project was presented at the opening of the conference.
Thomas Strobel from Fenwis GmbH said that the project team has focused on the entire value chain of “paper”.
- Paper we say with quotations marks, he underlined.
The use, requirements and functionalities of paper 2030 or 2050 might no longer be recognizable as paper, as we know it. Would it even be relevant to talk about paper then?
Representatives from various industries, associations and science have looked forward to the near future (2030 and 2050) by means of extrapolation. They have also used a method they call “retropolation”, to look back again – from 2050 to 2030.
More than 1200 ideas could be determined in regional workshops. The most popular areas were hygiene, architecture and health products.
The ideas were then categorized in function of their market attraction and time frame for their realization.
Paper can be used in hygiene products with antibacterial properties. In architecture, paper can be fitted in light-weight construction or in light emitting devices. Another use in architecture could be interactive displays in wallpaper.
Anatoly Davydov, one of the project managers from PTS, also mentioned packaging and the possibility to develop a paper product that automatically suits the size of its content.
Paper can be used in indoor farming when artificial light is used. Such farming already exists in Japan, although paper is not used to that end.
The motto guiding the whole project is “Do the possible instead of think the feasible”.
“Paper & Fiber World 2030 – what does the future hold?” can be downloaded at faser-papier-2030.de
