Texas-based green materials firm Whole Tree Inc., the same company that last year made a big splash with the news that it was working on developing car parts made from coconut fibers, announced that it is now testing the waters in the sustainable packaging industry.

Working with Compadre, an Austin-based packaging design and engineering company tasked with bringing the coconut-fiber packaging to market, Whole Tree will work to develop packaging applications using a composite material made in part from coconut fiber.

The coconut-based material is strong and stiff, which allows Compadre to form the material into various shapes for packaging applications. When molded, the material is called Coir Form.

"The intrinsic properties of coir fiber are truly amazing," says Dr. Walter Bradley, Distinguished Faculty at Baylor University in Texas and founder and chairman of Whole Tree. "It also has a natural burn resistance and natural resistance to mildew and microbial attack."

Dr. Bradley says the material can be made with variable densities, which can produce a number of property combinations, which will allow for creative and variable solutions for customer needs.

Reprinted with permission from Earth & Industry