Can it be a bit more sustainable?

Have you ever looked around at how much is made of plastic? Your desk, equipment, the trash can, flower pots, packaging, and even clothing often contain plastic. As humans, we produce an incredible amount of plastic. Much of this plastic ends up as waste in the environment. This has major consequences for humans, animals, and their surroundings.

In recent years, there has been increasing attention to the problems caused by the use of plastic. It's a topic that appeals to me and gets my creative brain working at full speed. My heart lies with cardboard, so I'm always looking for solutions to replace plastic products with the much more sustainable variant: cardboard products. This is how the cardboard furniture and cardboard lamps came about. Because why should we use raw materials that are a danger to our nature when we can also choose a much more sustainable option?

Cardboard is made from wood fibers, which makes cardboard a natural product. Unlike plastic, cardboard is biodegradable and can also be recycled so that it can be used again. This makes cardboard an especially beautiful product to work with. By using a 'waste product', we also contribute to a circular economy.

Why should we use raw materials that are a danger to our nature when we can also choose a much more sustainable option?

A small percentage of the cardboard we produce in the Netherlands is made with new wood fibers. Trees have to be cut down for this cardboard. When the cardboard has an FSC label, it means that trees from a well-managed forest have been used. For every tree cut down, a new tree is planted to prevent deforestation. The FSC label is therefore a prerequisite for the cardboard I work with.

But even in the world of cardboard, there is a constant search for possibilities to use even more sustainable raw materials. A wonderful alternative is PaperWise. The raw material for this product is agricultural waste or agricultural residues. Agricultural waste consists of parts of the plant that are not suitable as food. Think of leaves and stems of plants. This is as much as 80% of the plant. This raw material remained unused and is even burned, unnecessarily releasing CO2. PaperWise has made it its mission to change the entire paper industry. I'm happy to contribute to this initiative.

My very first product with PaperWise cardboard is a bee hotel commissioned by Bloom Your Message. The cardboard is finished with a natural coating, making it resistant to various weather conditions.

I'm currently working on developing various packaging from PaperWise to replace plastic bags, plastic tubes, and other packaging. Are you interested in sustainable packaging or do you want to know what the possibilities are with PaperWise cardboard? Let me know. I'm happy to help you.

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