Man has been turning wood into paper since 105 A.D.; now a company in the Netherlands is turning paper into wood. NewspaperWood from Vij5 was the brainchild of Mieke Meijer, who developed the material while attending the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2003. Meijer's initial project was made from the local newspaper, the Eindhovens Dagblad, which continues to provide Vij5 with misprints and undistributed newspapers to be turned into faux-wood veneers. The newspaper logs are made with solvent-free glues to ensure that NewspaperWood and any milling waste can reenter the paper recycling system. Meijer has been working with Vij5 since 2007 to streamline production and develop new uses for the unique material. Designers have used NewspaperWood veneers for concept car interiors, lamps and furniture, as well as circular pendants made from a single day's newspaper with the date of the upcycled publication imprinted on the edge. While Vij5 is not so bold as to believe NewspaperWood will replace wood-there are no current plans to make "wood" flooring-it does hope the project will encourage others to upcycle and make garbage a little greener. More information on NewspaperWood can be found at vij5.nl/Vij5_KrantHout_EN.html.
