Finnish wood-based innovations on display in London
The New Wood: Building a Bio-Based Future exhibition, taking place in London this March, illustrates how wood-based materials can be utilized in a variety of ways in future products.
The need for sustainable solutions is urgent. The EU’s goal is to transition to widely using bio-based materials by 2040 in areas such as plastics, textiles, packaging, and chemicals.
The exhibition showcases Finnish wood-based innovations aimed at replacing fossil-based materials in everyday products. Dozens of wood-based products and materials are on display, ranging from textiles to packaging.
Also featured are solutions developed at Aalto University that combine design, materials research, and technology. Among the exhibits are the Ioncell® technology, which enables the production of textile fibers from cellulose—an example of which is a formal gown made for Ms. Jenni Haukio— the FOLD project, which researches and develops origami-based cardboard solutions for new applications, and Mainiot materiaalit, a guidebook for biomaterial experiments aimed at children and young people.
The exhibition is organized by the Uusi puu project, one of the Finnish Forest Association’s key initiatives to promote the sustainable use of forests and the bioeconomy.
Origami techniques open up new possibilities for cardboard
The FOLD project, led by Aalto University and VTT, is researching applications based on origami folding that can give cardboard entirely new properties. This multidisciplinary project combines mathematics, technology, and design.
Folds based on origami techniques make cardboard an easily moldable, strong, visually appealing material with excellent acoustic properties, suitable for applications such as packaging, interior panels, and room dividers.
“The technology developed in the project is completely unique in the world. Origami folding transforms cardboard into a flexible, protective, and visually striking material that has not previously been possible to manufacture industrially. The technology we have developed also enables the production of folded material from recycled materials,” explains Jarmo Kouko, head of the research group at VTT.
“The significance of FOLD for design lies in the fact that it unlocks a whole new range of structural and visual potential for cardboard. At the London exhibition, this is clearly demonstrated by how the same material can simultaneously serve as a protective, adaptable, and visually striking component of a packaging solution,” says Markus Joutsela, a packaging design expert and senior university lecturer at Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture, who helped curate the exhibition.
The FOLD project has developed a machine capable of folding cardboard into origami-like structures at various scales and stages, each with its own application potential. Once the rolls of material received from the consortium’s corporate partners have been mechanically folded, it has been possible to explore various targeted further processing options using new folds, cuts, layers, material combinations, or precision embossing tailored to the shape of the items to be packaged. This yields solutions that use only the optimal amount of protective material and precisely replicate the shape of the item. Even paper weighing less than 100 gsm is reinforced during processing to provide excellent protection for ceramics, for example. At the other end of the spectrum, the same technology is also suitable for other materials, such as aluminum alongside cardboard.
The New Wood: Building a Bio-Based Future exhibition is open at The Garrison Chapel in Chelsea, London, from March 9–27, 2026.
The exhibition is organized at the invitation of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance. The initiative was founded by King Charles, and its goal is to accelerate the transition to a climate-neutral bioeconomy based on the circular economy. The King’s Foundation is also a partner in the collaboration, and the exhibition is being held at The Garrison Chapel in Chelsea, London.
FOLD will also participate in the upcoming Pulp & Beyond 2026 exhibition at Messukeskus from April 14–17 as part of the Uusipuu consortium.
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