The Engineering Crafters The art and science of creating paper structures that save the planet By Eric Balinski
Throughout history, people have marveled at magnificent man-made structures, from the ancient pyramids, to the Roman aqueducts, the Eiffel Tower, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Dubai’s Palm Islands, the Hoover Dam and New York’s Freedom Tower. Looking at these structures begs the question: “How did they make that?” Few would suggest the 2,000 year old art of papermaking would draw such awe. Even though its inventor, Cai Lun, was deified as the god of papermakers in the Han Dynasty, creating papermaking as we know it by combining natural materials like tree bark to make a pulp mixture with fibers pressed into paper. But papermaking is entering a new realm of sophisticated engineering, driven by the technology wizards at Footprint. Its development efforts create engineered paper by formulating fibers, additives and manufacturing to achieve specific paper structures for consumer packaging that is replacing single use plastics.
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CRAFT BRAND AND MARKETING
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
Footprint is leading the way with disruptive technologies across a wide range of industries too. Its ability to deliver game-changing solutions for its customers is based on the work performed by Footprint’s technology innovation team. Led by Yoke Chung, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, this team is made of up Ph.Ds., chemists, material scientists, mechanical and process engineers, and designers, all working together to build the formulations, equipment and process controls necessary for Footprint’s success. As a measurement of their success, the team has enabled 1,124 global inventions to be patented
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