Weeds Aren’t Weeds

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The catalogue in your hands is partly printed on Notweed Paper, paper made of cellulose extracted from invasive plants. Notweed Paper is a Slovenian eco-friendly paper brand, the first in the world to make paper out of biomass from invasive plants. It not only provides an innovative eco-friendly alternative for environmentally conscious people, but also opens up new perspectives on alien invasive plants that traditionally suffer a poor reputation.

Invasive alien species have a negative impact on nature and the economy, and even cause harm to human health. Our society sees them as one the biggest threats to biodiversity, as some invasives spread so rapidly that they take over and push out native species, changing native ecosystems across the world. The aggressive spread of these species causes much distress to local authorities and landowners who invest considerable efforts in removing them to protect the biodiversity of native ecosystems. Notweed Paper is an initiative of Trajna, a collective that took it upon themselves to explore how invasive plants can be used to make locally-sourced paper, with the aim of offering it to the general public through its newly established brand. Both the product and the brand evolved through several years of efforts to turn the environmental problems caused by invasives into an opportunity. The answer appeared in the form of a concept for a unique line of paper products that at the same time offers itself as a reflection on sustainable alternatives to standard paper production. By replacing virgin wood fibres with Japanese knotweed we contribute to sustainable management of invasive species and help preserve life in our forests.

The Notweed Paper brand was founded by Slovenian non-profit organisation Trajna in support of efforts to develop proposals for the management of invasive plants by exploring their useful properties. The topicality and importance of paper from invasive plants and brand development, including production, marketing and distribution of paper products from invasive alien plants, was recognised also by the Centre for Creativity, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, which provided financial assistance in the frame of the open call “Promotion of Creative Cultural Industries – Centre for Creativity 2019”. The call aims to promote the development of creative industries and closer collaboration between the cultural and creative industries and the business sector.

Notweed Paper consists of 50% cellulose from Japanese knotweed, 45% wood cellulose and 5% waste paper. This unbleached (chlorine-free) paper can be used for different printing applications and is available in A2 and B2 formats, in 250 and 130 gsm sheets.

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TUNNEL XXIX : tunnel 29 : design for a post-apocalyptic world / [texts Jeff Bickert ... [et al.] ; editors Mika Cimolini and Jeff Bickert ; product photos Klemen Ilovar, Ansambel ; translations Andreja Šalamon Verbič]. - Ljubljana : Center for Creativity (CfC), Museum of Architecture and Design, 2021

ISBN 978-961-6669-73-3 COBISS.SI-ID 55451907

Oblikovanje za odločno prodružbeni postapokaliptični svet