Non-wood materials provide unlimited opportunities for pulping and papermaking. They are available as agricultural residues or dedicated fibre crops grown on surplus fields. The annual generation of these materials exceeds 5 billion tonnes, which is more than ten times the current consumption of wood in the pulp and paper industry. Non-wood materials are globally available but currently underutilised - in fact, straw waste is commonly burned in fields, causing smog and particulate emissions.

Besides agricultural residues, dedicated fibre crops offer a very attractive opportunity to utilise excess land for beneficial agriculture. Improved exploitation of agricultural residues and the huge potential of dedicated fibre crops can resolve the current dilemma between increasing paper consumption and diminishing forest resources. formicofib™ offers an environmentally benign, patented solution for converting these materials into high-grade pulp, paper and board.