The alternative to plastic may have been right in front of our eyes this whole time – wood. And I don’t  just mean carved wooden figurines instead of plastic toys. Arboform is wood pulp-based lignin that can be mixed with flax or wood fibers to create a strong, nontoxic alternative to plastics.

Arborform takes advantage of the tens of millions of tons of lignin that is often discarded as a byproduct during the papermaking process. A spin-off company, Tecnaro, has taken the lignin and combined it with fibers and wax to produce plastic-like pellets. So not only does it make use of waste, but it can also be injection-molded to create a variety of products. Under high pressure, the pellets behave like melted plastic, and can be injected through a nozzle into a mold.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology in Germany had been researching an alternative to plastics since the mid ‘90s and seems to have finally found a winner. Arboform has already been used by manufacturers to create products such as toys, loudspeaker boxes, car parts, watches and ballpoint pens.

Finding a viable alternative to plastic is important if we want to eliminate the plastic pollution in landfills and oceans, and stop relying on crude oil – which is the basis of the chemical for pastics. Plus, plastics have been linked to many health concerns because plastics’ heavy metals and softeners known as phthalates.

Although lignin has garnered more interest in Europe than in North America, more research into solutions such as Arboform could shift attention a little closer to home. At a time when oil prices are sure to rise again and paper companies are feeling more pressure from importing wood, this could be a win-win situation for paper mills and manufacturers to make profit off what was once considered waste, and for consumers who want a safer and more affordable alternative to plastic.