Design graduate's ecological packaging range finds value in unwanted weeds

02 Nov 2018 --- Dutch design graduate Don Kwaning has created a bio-based packaging material from the pith of a cosmopolitan and typically unwanted weed called soft rush. By separating the pith from the fibers, Kwaning discovered that paper, textile, foam and construction materials can be produced for use in a range of packaging applications, including dried foods packs. Kwaning speaks to PackagingInsights about the inspiration behind this novel concept, the technical process, and the challenges of commercialization.

“My fascination with soft rush started with the pith,” Kwaning tells PackagingInsights. “The pith is a foamy string with a very soft and almost synthetic touch. Next to that, it is very light and has insulating properties. Based on these characteristics, I developed the material extracted from the soft rush into a range of packaging applications.”

To date, Kwaning has converted the pith into the following packaging types:

• A packaging box made from the compressed pith of the soft rush. This box could be an eco-alternative to polystyrene packaging boxes. Here the material is compressed with a lower density than with the construction material which makes it lighter than the construction material.
• A corrugated cardboard box made from the fibers of the soft rush. The box contains foamy strings and can act as a replacement for the polystyrene packaging of beans.
• Two forms of packaging paper also made for the fibers of the soft rush.
• A furniture piece consisting of five boxes for storage which can also be used as a side table. The construction is made entirely from the pith of the soft rush and does not need a binder.

Kwaning explains that the pith of the soft rush is a foam. This material possesses lightweight, shock-resistant and insulating properties that make it suitable as an ecological packaging material.

The packaging material can be applied as tangled noodle strings or as a compressed foam block without adding any bonding additives. In addition, the foamy pith can be compressed in different densities, which also makes it suitable as a lightweight sheet material that can be applied in furniture.

“The foamy pith is currently separated from the 'outer layer' by hand,” Kwaning continues. “When this is commercialized there needs to be an industrial solution for this part of the process. The pith can be compressed without the use of a binder into a foam block. So it’s just the pressure that makes the material bind. The pith can be compressed into molds. When dried in a kiln, the foam block can be used as an eco-alternative to polystyrene packaging boxes.”

“The range of products that in the future can be packed with this material would go from hard furniture to dried food. Currently, the material is not suitable for packaging moist or liquid products,” he explains.

The novel and ecological concept of this packaging draws parallels with the Peel Saver, a cone-shaped fries pack made from discarded potato peels, designed by students Simone Caronni, Pietro Gaeli and Paolo Stefano Gentile of NABA University in Milan. Read more about the Peel Saver here.

Likewise, the soft rush packaging can be compared to Polish design student Roza Janusz’s SCOBY packaging: an organic and sustainable material which can be eaten or composted after use. It is made of bacteria and yeast and grown through a fermentation process. Read more about SCOBY and other novel biodegradable/compostable solutions here.

All three projects face similar challenges by way of commercialization and taking strides into the mainstream: “All the materials are at the moment made by myself,” explains Kwaning. “So I’m looking for a company or an investor that would be interested in developing the materials further with me.”

“The next steps would be researching and developing the materials further with a plants science institution who can help me with more technical background. From there, I hope to be able to take bigger steps in the development of the materials,” he concludes.

The soft rush is mostly known from the woven Japanese tatami mats wherein the whole plant is processed. But separating the pith from the fibers createsnew application possibilities. The fibers can be developed into materials like paper, (corrugated) cardboard, rope, non-wovens and textiles.

In the Netherlands, state forestry removes thousands of kilos of the soft rush each year. Currently, the only use is conversion of the soft rush into biogas through fermentation, otherwise, the strands are used to improve agricultural soil that contains a lot of sand.

By Joshua Poole