New material made from worthless waste wood

The global eco-friendly furniture market is estimated to be worth around $43.3 billion (around €40.6 billion) and is projected to continue increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6 per cent from 2022 to 2030. As well as developing new carbon neutral materials, designers are also making better use of waste products to create useful and attractive products.

Rather than cut down a mature tree for material for instance, Japanese Studio Yumakano has created a wood-like material called ForestBank from organic scraps. Using a mix of items usually found on the forest floor, such as weeds, small trees, leaves, and seeds, the new material works just like wood. It can be used everywhere that wood is usually used, and it is shaped with regular woodworking methods.