Brewing up new uses for woodfibre

Brewing up new uses for woodfibre

Maine Coasters & Bio-Boards (Maine Coasters) envisioned producing biodegradable coasters manufactured from Sappi softwood pulp and spent grains leftover from the brewing process.

Sappi North America has partnered with the company to make this vision a reality. We’re supporting the company’s research by supplying technical support and fibre. We’ve also linked the company up with the University of Maine and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Coasting to trials

The prototypes for the coasters were generated at the University of Maine Process Development Centre, with a Sappi representative from the Westbrook Technology Centre helping oversee the pre-commercial trial. Coasters have been supplied to 10 to 15 Maine-based breweries for trials.

A shared vision

Sappi enjoys partnering with entrepreneurs who share our commitment to sustainability and passion for innovation. Maine Coasters’ goal is to work with local mills to create bio-based products that are manufactured locally with waste materials diverted from landfills. The biodegradable coasters are FSC™- and SFI®-certified and printed with environmentally-friendly vegetable dyes. In addition to these strong environmental credentials, they’re also extremely absorbent with a smooth surface which makes them ideal for offset lithographic printing.

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Engineering breakthroughs
Making the most of every tree

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