Get a Load of These Natural Substrates

When an unusual product comes in the mail, I jump on it (so to speak) for a Print Tip. That’s how I came to chat with a Massachusetts “expat.”

The samples that caught my eye were from NatureWoven™, in CA. They were a couple of flexible, 8 ½ x 11” printed sheets, the likes of which I’d not seen. I left a phone message for someone at the company to call me back, and my phone rang within minutes (great response!).

It was Matt Devlin on the line. His area code said Santa Monica – but his accent said Massachusetts. I had to ask from whence he hailed, and it turns out, Matt’s originally from Pembroke, MA. He is NatureWoven’s VP of Business Development for North America. The parent company, Natural Ad Campaign, is based in the UK.

The samples I received are for their first two products, Gossyp and Chorus. Gossyp is made from cotton, and Chorus is made from jute. Both products are backed with latex. (This is the natural latex, found in many plants, by the way: not synthetic latex.)

Every product made by the company is 100% natural, biodegradable and compostable. Devlin said that the company’s CEO, Alex Dowdeswell, had a vision of producing natural, printable materials that would not end up in landfills; rather, they’d be 100% biodegradable and compostable. Both the jute and the cotton products can be disposed of by composting to create natural fertilizers that improve soil quality. The products’ “eco credentials are through the roof,” said Devlin.

In a company news release last fall, Dowdeswell said, “Vinyls and other oil-based printing products have to be incinerated or more often are sent to landfills and remain a potential hazard to the environment for many years. The materials that [we] have developed can be composted to create natural fertilisers. We are very pleased that we have been able to show the leading distributors of printing materials in the North East and Midwest of the US the benefits of the NatureWoven™ range of products.”

Chorus is made in 48” x 98’ rolls, and Gossyp comes in 50” x 98’ rolls. Chorus is made from natural jute, a vegetable fiber. This product’s manufactured on family farms in India in the Ganges Delta. Two additional products include window clings and the soon-to-be-available backlit materials.

Both substrates are good for indoor and outdoor applications and are suitable for digital and screen printers. The company has tested various presses with different types of ink. For more details on specific equipment compatibility, contact Matt at .

Applications for these substrates include banners, POPs,

curtains, billboards, wall coverings, display panels, posters, aisle runners, hanging displays, and more. Rainforest Café is using one of the products for tablecloths. Patagonia and Whole Foods are also clients.

I’d never heard the term “compostable” associated with a printing substrate before. So I figured many of you would be interested, too. Visit their site at www.naturewoven.com. If you’ve used their products, feel free to share your comments with the rest of us!

Let me say “thanks!” to Matt Devlin. And if he ever misses the whipping winds of New England winters, he’s free to come by and visit us any time.

© 2012 Margie Dana. All rights reserved. You’re free

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