They start from the kind of wood pulp used to make paper products. The result is a low-density cellulose foam that the manufacturers believe can replace packaging foams based on plastic.

RISE reports that the new bio-based material has exhibited good properties such as resistance to compression and a uniform and small pore size, providing an aesthetically pleasing structure. The new foam can also be recycled in the same way as paper and packaging.

The foam is expected to have a variety of applications, and the manufacturers hope it can replace fossil-based materials like polymer foam, which is often used in packaging, insulation, and lightweight composites.

The development is presented in a Whitepaper from RISE and Apple.