Grant: Research Networks

The Canadian Forest Industry is struggling for its survival. Traditional markets of printing grades, the major part of Canadian Pulp and Paper Production, are dwindling and are unlikely to regain profitability in the future. For a renewal of the Canadian Forest Industry, revolutionary changes are necessary: switching to more profitable product lines (such as flexible packaging) and creating innovative novel products.The Canadian Network for the Development of Innovative Green Wood Fibre Products is a new research initiative to lay the scientific foundations for the production of novel green products. Its mission statement is:To create technology platforms for developing green products based on wood fibres and wood fiber networks that will replace fossil-fuel based and other non-renewable products.Novel products that are targeted include flexible food packaging, insulating materials, decorative furniture, textiles, filters, biofoams and fibre-biopolymer composites.The Green Fibre Network has 12 projects at the interface of Materials Science, Green Chemistry and Engineering, Pulp and Paper Science, Cellulose and Lignin Chemistry and Industrial Design. The network represents 20 professors from 6 Canadian Universities, 11 researchers from Industry and 24 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, as well as a Network Manager.