PaperShell’s material is stronger than wood due to a process called intensive compression molding, which combines paper fibers and bio-resin. This process also adds hemicellulose back into the material, resulting in a dry prepreg that is cut into pieces and pressed under a large steel machine for shaping and trimming. Any waste from production is converted into biochar, supporting a circular economy.
“[As a] tree grows up, it takes the carbon from the atmosphere, and we reduce that tree to paper with a single life,” PaperShell cofounder and CEO Anders Breitholtz, told Metropolis Mag. “We should be able to do something much more advanced around this.”
PaperShell is lightweight, durable, and moldable, making it perfect for facades. It provides sustainable cladding that can endure various weather conditions, accommodate complex designs, and minimize environmental impact thanks to its carbon-sequestering and biodegradable features.