by kevin, on January 19th, 2010
Image courtesy of EcoTop web site.
Aleida and I have been researching and specifying environmentally favorable building materials for the past six years. To some that would seem like a long time, to others, they would say we’re just getting started. And on most days, that’s exactly how we feel. The more we root around for great sustainable materials the more we’re exposed to interesting products and the fascinating people behind them. New products debut every year, and the pace of those introductions seems to be increasing. Other products, like composite paper-based countertops seem like they’ve been around for a long time. Some of the companies currently manufacturing them, such as Richlite, have existed for decades, but composite paper-based countertops as a category are a more recent addition.
Products from companies such as Richlite, PanelTech, Trespa, and others can trace their foundations to some of the earliest man-made plastics. Parkesine, the first such product developed in the 1850’s, was cellulose treated with nitric acid and a solvent. It was created to be an artificial ivory. But poor business moves doomed the company. It was replaced by a company called Celluloid. Two brothers were looking for a new material to make billiard balls. Until them, they were made from natural ivory. Their formulation was a little different and was composed of nitrocellulose mixed with camphor. Not only were they successful, but other derivatives were used for still and moving photography. Early moving pictures were often referred to by the name of the company who made the film – Celluloid.
Another early man-made plastic that’s clearly part of this story is Bakelite, which was a mixture of phenols and formaldehyde with various fillers – wood flour, asbestos, or slate dust – set under high pressure and temperature. Another product with similar and connected lineage is medium density overlay plywood. Used in concrete forms, this is essentially plywood sheets with resin impregnated paper applied to the panel face. What current composite paper-based countertop makers have in common is that the paper is saturated with a resin, similar to the early plastics, and set under heat and pressure. Each company today uses different resin formulations with some closer to those ancestors than others. Phenols are still used. Phenolic resins come from the oxidation of benzene, which is a constituent of crude oil.
A key figure in the story of how composite paper-based countertops have become a common site in sustainable design is Joel Klippert of KlipTech. Twelve years ago, he answered a newspaper ad by Richlite to become their first director of sales and marketing. When taking on the new role, he decided his principle job would be to find new markets for an old product. Richlite has been building their core project for more than forty years. But when Joel joined them, their primary customers were in aerospace. He saw three market spaces where the product could dramatically expand the current business – skate board ramps, countertops, and marine. Early success was found in the skateboard industry. In particular, that kind of heavy duty use in harsh environments quickly proved the durability of the product. Yet even with that success, Joel thought an even bigger opportunity existed in home construction. “Not every house needs a skateboard ramp, but every house has countertops,” he told me in a recent interview. One hurdle to clear was aesthetics. Back then, Richlite offered one color – natural – and because no one was asking for color stability, it wasn’t – the color changed over time. Joel knew that to enter the countertop market the product had to be offered in new colors and remain stable over time.
Although not strictly a sustainable material back then, Joel started seeing greater environmental opportunity if the product were composed of paper containing recycled content rather than virgin sheets. Richlite did not. So Joel started his own business – KlipTech. Although he knew what kind of products he wanted to manufacture, and knew technically how it could be made, he was not a manufacturer. His background and experience was marketing, but he didn’t allow that to deter him.
At first, he was sourcing recycled paper from India, treating it with resin through a local treating company then called Dynea, and then pressing, cutting, and shipping out of a former ski factory he and his wife had purchased. And PaperStone was born. But a year in, his paper treater had to stop production as their European parent company was looking to liquidate its North American assets. It was at this time that Joel met Roy Nott at PanelTech (we posted about Roy and paperStone here). They joined forces to not only keep PaperStone production going, but to develop new products. With Joel’s marketing background, Roy’s paper industry experience, and PanelTech chemists they were able to extend the recycled content to 100% and offer an FSC certified line.
Image courtesy of EcoTop web site.
A few years back, Joel tried to thank his mother and father for all their support by offering them free countertops for a new home they had under construction. His mother told him, like only a mother can – not me, nor any of my friends, would take your product for free. Wow. That’s got to sting. What she was really saying, however, was that she didn’t like the colors. She wanted something lighter in color, cleaner, and crisp looking. Most of the composite paper-based countertop products available at the time, PaperStone included, were offered only in dark colors and had a very earthy aesthetic. That character may have significant appeal to those concerned with the environment, but not for those with more mainstream preferences. The darker colors actually perform a manufacturing function. They’re needed to mask or cover the naturally dark resins typically used.
Joel saw right away that he was simultaneously looking at a likely stumbling block to wider product acceptance, and a potential new market opportunity. He realized that his mother was voicing her own opinion and that of many prospective customers just like her. He knew another change in course was necessary. He left behind his creation, PaperStone, to embark on another new product course. He approached Arclin, the new owner of his former paper treating company Dynea, and started development of his newest product called EcoTop. His key task was essentially to create a product his mother and her friends would be willing to purchase, and that meant starting from scratch. He wanted a UV stable 100% water-based resin composite recycled paper product available in any color, especially white. He also had to rethink the fiber by creating a new bamboo and recycled paper mix compatible with the new resin. Why bamboo, aside from the fact that it’s a rapidly renewable resource? Because its fiber is ten times longer and more absorbent than tree fiber, but performs like hardwood fiber. Solvents typically have to be added to paper fiber for it to fully absorb the resin, but with bamboo, Joel was able to avoid those same solvents and create a nearly transparent 100% water-based resin. Working with a paper company to create a custom formulation means that he can also control the color system. Dyes are added to the paper fiber during production rather than afterward – the way most other companies do.
Image courtesy of EcoTop web site.
Joel wants to compete with more mainstream countertop materials, such as engineered stone and polymers. What’s fascinating about his story is how he’s helped create a new category among countertop materials by not only pushing the envelope, constantly evolving, and regularly developing new products to answer new needs and expand mainstream acceptance. Along the way, he’s been significantly connected to all the major players. Ten years ago he saw a great opportunity using a non traditional material for countertops, then saw a growing interest in sustainability, and now is looking to compete directly with more common mainstream counter materials. At every major fork in his career path he’s chosen to create something new rather than stay the course, and we’re all better off as a result. I for one hope Joel never stops searching for that next new market. During our conversation he mentioned an old marketing expression that seems to perfectly capture his path – if you cannot be number one in your market space, create a new market.
Thank you, Joel, for your time!
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