Zelfo Technology will demonstrate various finished materials as part of the THINK:Material exhibit at IIDEX/NeoCon Canada 2011

As Canada’s largest national design expo and conference, IIDEX/NeoCon Canada annually attracts 350 exhibitors and 15,000 trade attendees (designers, architects, facility managers, developers) in all areas of design. Now in its 27th year, IIDEX holds a truly unique position in the Canadian design industry as the only major design exposition owned by a professional association, the Interior Designers of Canada.

Exposition: September 22-23, 2011

Conference: September 22-24, 2011

Direct Energy Centre, Toronto

www.iidexneocon.com

Details: http://material-vision.messefrankfurt.com/

Zelfo Technology represented by Omodo GmbH was awarded the prize in front of an audience of 150 congress participants at a ceremony on 15^th March. The accolade was given in recognition of the recent advancement of Zelfo^® material, optimised over the previous 4 years through work that Omodo has carried out with its partners in the Zelfo Technology platform. Critical to the recent industrialisation of Zelfo^® is the process known as CORE (Cellulose Optimisation Resource Efficient), which significantly reduces energy and resources previously required for the production of the material.

The competition for the Innovations prize seeks to encourage the development of new materials, along with suitable applications and markets for bio-based products. It focuses on materials, which have been progressed to a point that has enabled them to be introduced to the market in 2010/2011. Initially for Zelfo^®, to have their material shortlisted by the Nova Institute an internationally recognised steering group in biomaterials was an honour in itself. Zelfo^® was voted winner of the first prize by the assembled group of leading biomaterials representatives, this is for Zelfo^® the ultimate endorsement.

Commenting on the fruition of decades of work involving cellulose ‘natures plastic’, Trevor Dean of Zelfo Technology summarized the achievement ” ‘CORE’ is a technological ‘must have’ for the realization of a sustainable future in the fibre industry”.

True to their mission, Zelfo Technology is focused in a wider sense on the development of cellulose fibre based material solutions. To achieve this they are currently engaged in the further industrialisation of their offer and are establishing distinct manufacturing/technology presence supported by an innovations based R & D concern.

The Nova Biomaterials prize together with Zelfo^®’s earlier double win this year at the Rushlight Awards appears to indicate this concept could be a winning formula. Following the award, there has already been a welcome wave of interest substantiating the ‘Nova effect’ mentioned by some activists in the industry.

The nova-Institute itself is globally active in market research, industrial and political consultancy, project management and online media. Led by CEO Michael Carus, nova uses and creates expert knowledge and innovative technologies to advance and develop the use of renewable resources as energy and material.

Nova Institute:

Michael Carus: michael.carus@nova-institut.de

www.nova-institut.com

www.biowerkstoff-kongress.de

This success is an endorsement of 4 years of development of Zelfo®, a micro and nano fibre which can be formed into finished objects, or used as a bio-additive to improve paper or plastic material characteristics. Zelfo has diverse applications for the built environment, product design and paper industries.

Judges were impressed by Zelfo’s environmental credentials and also the potential of Zelfo Technology’s innovative CORE system (Cellulose Optimization Resource Efficient) to up-cycle waste into versatile Zelfo®. This energy and water efficient method for producing Zelfo material was recognised for the role it could play in advancing sustainable manufacturing.

”It is wonderful for the potential of Zelfo® to be recognized at Rushlight by such a prestigious judging panel” say Richard Hurding of Zelfo Technology. “The team will use 2011 to build on this achievement, with end users and engineering partners to scale up the technology.”

The Rushlight Awards were judged by an independent panel of recognized experts from a wide range of clean technology sectors and drawn from academia, trade associations, government departments and specialist media.

Prof Sir John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser said, “We face a whole raft of global environmental challenges in the 21^st century, and we must use natural resources more wisely if we want to mitigate the effects of climate change. That’s why it’s important to celebrate those who are developing technologies to help us live in a more sustainable way.

“The Rushlight Awards showcase the fantastic environmental innovation taking place in the UK and Ireland, and I’ve been really impressed by the standard of entrants.”

The award is designed in the shape of an ‘e’ for Eberswalde. SEHquenz wanted the ‘e’ to emphasise the festival’s commitment to the environment and the role of sustainability in the world of film.

Choosing to use Zelfo, a sustainable material made from natural cellulose fibres, underlines this message – reminding film makers that it is up to them to use resources and technology not only creatively, but sustainably.

SEHquenz’s Andreas Glaser said: “Using Zelfo for the prize is like any successful creative work as it combines maximum effect with efficiently managed resources”.

Richard Hurding and Trevor Dean of Zelfo Technology designed the ‘e’ award to reflect the film projection process, with bright pulses penetrating the dark exterior.

More than 820 entries from 52 different countries competed for one of the awards at the festival in October 2010.

“We were extremely impressed with the Zelfo material produced from the cotton fibre and so-called cotton ‘waste’,” says Mark Messura, Senior Vice President Global Supply Chain Marketing, Cotton Incorporated.

The company, which aims to build demand for cotton, discovered Zelfo through a global search for relevant technologies as part of its efforts to promote the sustainable production, use and disposal of cotton and cotton products.

The technical and marketing experts from Cotton Incorporated worked with the Zelfo Technology team at the Zelfo pilot production plant to see the process in action. There they saw carding and spinning waste transformed into a sustainable material that has a whole range of applications in other sectors.

“We are both intrigued and excited about the possibilities the unique Zelfo process holds for generating environmentally-responsible ways for processing cotton and cotton wastes into valuable new products,” Messura continues. “The environmental and economic potential is tremendous.”

Inaugurated in 2000, the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Triennial program seeks out and presents the most innovative designs at the center of contemporary culture. In this fourth exhibition in the series, the National Design Triennial will explore the work of designers addressing human and environmental problems across many fields of the design practice, from architecture and products to fashion, graphics, new media, and landscapes. Cooper-Hewitt curators Ellen Lupton, Cara McCarty, Matilda McQuaid, and Cynthia Smith will present the experimental projects and emerging ideas for the period between 2006 and 2009.

http://www.cooperhewitt.org/EXHIBITIONS/triennial/why-design-now.asp

After months of research and experimentation, Elise Gabriel set out to give form to Zelfo ®, using its capacity to “embrace” as the theme for her work. She explored the qualities of the material and the unusual vocabulary of forms that it engenders. Her pieces – a chair and trestles – both illustrate the capacities of Zelfo to shape and maintain complex three-dimensional structures that are resistant and light. Her design for a lamp as a tensed volume demonstrates the finesse and opalescence of Zelfo material.

http://www.via.fr/gb/evenements_aidescreation10.asp#top