Södra, Swedish Lighting Company Launch Paper Task Light

Print this article | Send to Colleague

The Swedish lighting company Wästberg has launched a lighting fixture made with DuraPulp, developed in close collaboration with Södra and Swedish architects and designers Claesson Koivisto Rune. Last year Claesson Koivisto Rune and Södra developed the Parupu children's chair made of DuraPulp, thus proving it possible to make a real chair of paper. The two groups have now teamed up with Wästberg to challenge themselves even further: merging electricity, paper and light, using paper, not only as a component or for casing, but really fully integrated.

"Combining old wisdom with ground-breaking technology is elementary to Wästbergs philosophy" says Magnus Wästberg, founder and CEO of Wästberg. "Paper has been used throughout history for making lamp shades. Now we are using paper for the actual structure of the fixture adding advanced LED technology."

Karin Emilsson, director of technology at Södra and head of Södra Innovation, adds that "one principal mission for Södra, together with innovative partners, is to develop and supply tomorrow's raw materials based on renewable forest resources. The DuraPulp lamp by Wästberg meets high customer standards of functionality and design although it's made out of a new totally renewable material."

DuraPulp is made from selected pulp from Södra combined with PLA (Polylactic acid, a renewable biopolymer produced from starch). The two components in combination provide special properties that can be reinforced through hot pressing. DuraPulp has high wet strength, high water resistance, high dimensional stability, as well as high tensile strength and bending stiffness.