Marieke Havermans is receiving strong confirmation: the coveted “Wood and Natural Fibre Composite Award 2015” was presented at the world’s biggest international “Sixth WPC & NPC Conference” organised by nova-Institut GmbH in Cologne / Germany. This innovation prize was awarded for new materials and products from the wood-polymer composites (WPC) and natural fibre composites (NFC) industry that were launched or were about to be launched on the market in 2015. The over 220 conference participants chose the three winners from six nominees.
Marieke Havermans’ company Onora took first place with its 100 per cent bio-based coffin made by injection moulding technology and involving hemp fibre reinforcement. The press release published by nova-Institut GmbH says: “The participants chose the 100% bio-based coffin that is reinforced with natural fibres to be the easy winner. The product is injection moulded, which creates great scope for design variability where both shape and colour are concerned. The bio-based composition of the coffin makes it biologically degradable and is an example of the new large-volume applications for organic composite materials. The life cycle analysis reveals a CO2 footprint that is low by comparison not only with conventional coffins but also with other organic coffins.”
For the sake of completeness, here is some information about the products that came in second and third: second place was taken by Millvision BV, which is also a Dutch company. It won the prize for a flower pot made from a biologically degradable organic composite material incorporating residual agricultural fibres: “The nominated flower pots are produced at competitive prices from residual agricultural fibres from paprika and tomato farming and bio-based plastic. They are used in nurseries and are biologically degraded within a few months, even when the ground is cold. The innovative new flower pot acts as a fertiliser – thus promoting plant growth – and avoids the plastic waste produced with oil-based flower pots as well as the work involved as a result.”
Third place was taken by the Finnish companies Aqvacomp Oy and Flaxwood Oy, which manufacture musical instruments from polystyrene reinforced with cellulose fibres: according to the official statement, “these new materials have the potential to substitute the use of rare and endangered wood species. Formulations with appropriate property profiles have been developed for various instruments, for example a cellulose fibre composite material, which can replace grenadilla wood in clarinets. The components have excellent heat and moisture resistance properties, so that the typical problems encountered when tuning wooden instruments are reduced.”
More information about the winners and the other nominated candidates, the innovation prize and the WPC & NFC Conference in Cologne can be found at http://wpc-conference.com
Guido Deußing