Unlikely materials

1. WOOD
What black looks like? The Superblack research project turns wood to pitch black.
Research by Bruno Mattos and Bin Zhao, CHEM and Alexey Khakalo, VTT  

2. SOY HULL
A prototype of children’s footwear made of hull waste.
Research and design by Ena Naito & Taisa Ferreira Ribeiro, ARTS

3. TREES
The Biollet project explores could ballet slippers be made of 100% biodegradable materials.
Research and design by Ayaka Yamada, ARTS

4. COFFEE GROUNDS
New applications for the coffee ground waste – showcasing prototypes of acoustic panels and explorations of the material properties.
Research by Valenti Soler (acoustic panels) and Andrzej Tarasiuk (material properties), ARTS
The waste coffee grounds were provided by Paulig and Natural Indigo Finland.

5. WHEAT STRAW
Jersey fabric made of agricultural wheat waste with the Ioncell® technology.
Research by Nicole Nygren in collaboration with Michael Hummel’s team, CHEM 
The straw pulp was provided by Fortum Oyj and spun into Ioncell® fibres at Aalto University.

6. CATTAIL STEMS and LEAFS
Bio-based alternative to styrofoam.
Research by Lukas Schuck, Harvey Shaw, ARTS, Tilda Ostberg Alagarda and Ada Luukkanen, CHEM

7. ALGAE
The Algae hat project research design possibilities for the material and created a playful hat concept that could be made by anyone at home.
Research by Nina Riutta, ARTS

8. LUPINE
The project investigates alternative textile materials that can be derived from plants that are considered weeds, showcasing first examples of knitted yarn.
Research by Mithila Mohan, ARTS, Maija Vaara, Laura Koskelo and Jaana Vapaavuori, CHEM 
 
9. NETTLE 
Plant mainly considered as a weed – the doctoral research explores nettle fibre and its potential in the textiles sector.
Research by Samica Sadik, University of Helsinki

10. WOOD
Bubbles with Benefits is an experimental material project to create cellulose-based bubble wrap.
Research by Satu Paavonsalo and Valentin Schwarz, ARTS

11. WHEAT STRAW
Exploring potential applications for the straw waste – Utenstraw is a biodegradable, single-use utensils made from straw.
Research and design by Tiina Otala, Tuomas Laakkonen, ARTS and Tam Nguyen, CHEM
Fortum aims to scale up its wheat straw processing by 2028, and novel applications for the growing straw waste.

12. SPRUCE CONES
Exploring natural material for aesthetic purposes – creating new surfaces and textures.
Research and art by Iines Jakovlev, ARTS