Spurred on by the desire to find products for their extensive forest industry, the design department at Aalto University in Finland is developing a strong, lightweight nanomaterial from wood pulp and is making prototypes of shoes, camp stools and even bicycles.
"If the world goes on as it is
and we keep consuming products at the rate that we are now,
then we have to find solutions where
the materials can be either recycled or composted at some point."
Professor Pirjo Kääriäinen.
Researchers believe that wood pulp is a super material that will replace plastics, synthetic fibre and cotton along with interior design elements such as plaster and can also be used for 3D printing as a sustainable substitute for plastic.
Brand name cellulose shoes are another 4 or 5 years away yet, but keep an eye out for them. Wood pulp is the future.