B.C. is one of the world’s largest producers of forestry products, but have you ever wondered what happens to the wood that doesn’t get used?
At a pilot plant in Vancouver operated by DicinFoam — a subsidiary of Wet’suwet’en First Nation-owned YLP — researchers are taking ordinary forestry waste, such as sawdust, shavings, and slash, and turning it into biodegradable foam packaging.
“We were looking for an idea to use the garbage that major licensees were burning up and throwing away,” said Reg Ogen, president and CEO of YLP.
“We thought we could make something into it.”
For DicinFoam co-founder Yale Zhu, the goal is to give forestry waste a second life and offer a more environmentally friendly option to plastic packaging that would otherwise sit in a landfill.
“Up to 90 per cent of the [plastic] packaging just ends up at the landfill…just consuming our landfill volume,” Zhu said.
“Also, under the sun and weather conditions, those foams break down into microplastics.”
“We want to know what we can do, what still needs to be improved, or what our customers really need or expect from us.”
The manufacturing process involves pulp being poured into the machinery to be compressed and then heated up in an oven. The plant can currently produce up to 200 kg of packaging per day. The shape is fully customizable, allowing the plant to make packing materials for any products, including electronics and wine bottles.
The plant aims to expand operations to a larger, 15,000-tonne facility on Vancouver Island.
“In the future, our plan is to generate enough revenue so we can continue to support our youth, our elders, and our programs,” Ogen said.
The pilot is a partnership between the Wet’suwet’en First Nation and scientists at UBC.
