Ultimate design material

Please tell us what does Noble Environmental Technologies do.

Our company, Noble Environmental Technologies, was founded in 2005, to commercialize world class environmental technologies and materials for the construction industry and many other industries. We are a global company with headquarters in the U.S., manufacturing and R&D in Serbia, the Netherlands, and operations in China. The initial technology and material technology the company commercialized is called ECOR. We invented the process of converting any type of cellulose fiber, which is extracted from waste materials from urban, farm and forest sources, including paper, cardboard, waste agricultural fiber, waste textiles, forest and timber waste, and many other waste or underutilized materials into ECOR panels, which can be used in construction, furniture, packaging, consumer products, and many other applications. We call ECOR the “ultimate design material.” It is 100% recycled content, 100% recyclable, compostable, non-toxic, and high strength. Virtually any shape, color and texture can be achieved with the material. We consider ECOR to be, essentially, a paradigm of circularity in the materials industry.

What motivated you to invent ECOR?

As an architect, over many years, I developed deep concerns about the toxicity of materials I was specifying for buildings. I was interested in designing with materials which were non-toxic, and made from waste materials. In addition, I felt that architects had a very limited “pallet” of materials and especially panel products to work with for architectural interiors. They have been forced to try to be creative with a very limited inventory of panel products: particleboard, plywood, plastic and others. I felt strongly that if architects and designers could engage in the design of core materials and processes to produce new materials, it could turn the accepted standards of design on its head. This is essentially what ECOR is; an ultimate design material, allowing designers freedom to create new shapes, forms, textures, engineered structures and an endless array of aesthetic possibilities for buildings, interiors, furniture and furnishings.
In addition, over the years, I had many opportunities to see the need for emergency, disaster relief, homeless and other basic shelter applications. I invented a number of panelized, light weight, low cost, quick deployment building systems. However, the panel materials available for these systems were not versatile, and/or they were too costly, too heavy, toxic, not locally fabricated, and not easily converted into efficient building systems. ECOR now provides the solutions to these deficiencies and provides for a global circular solution to basic shelter.

The vision of a future circular society

What kind of environmental problems does
the furniture/construction industry face?

The furniture and construction industries face many of the same environmental issues: toxic materials in the manufacturing processes and onsite installations, non-recyclable materials, very little recycled content in the materials used, significant carbon footprint due to material usage and transportation distances, non-recyclable waste streams in facilities and onsite installations. ECOR provides an integrated, holistic solution to all of these issues. The material is non-toxic, 100% recycled, bio-based, recyclable, very low waste, can be produced locally providing for short transport distances.

Have you noticed any change of public interest pertaining to environmental concerns since you started ECOR?

Absolutely. We have seen growing environmental awareness in every country we are working in. In fact, environmental standards and certifications like LEED, “Cradle to Cradle”(*1) and others are now common standards. Our customers and partners are all very involved and committed to new concepts of “Circular Economics” and “Sustainability”. These concepts are not only increasingly embraced by environmental pioneers, they are also being incorporated into governmental regulations in a number of countries. Two countries we have operations in, China and The Netherlands, have embraced Circularity in government programs and have appointed officials responsible for their development in business and government.

When waste turns into valuable resources, as with a Circular Economy, how do you think industry and market will change?

If all people in the product ecosystem develop a deeper understanding of circularity and the fundamentals of environmental and health improvements, designs of products, processes and systems will advance in proportion to the advancing understanding. In return, design will bring expanded opportunities and innovative new products. Lifestyles will be enhanced as designs reflect more developed attitudes and principals.
Also, a circular perspective will trigger an expanded array of high performance materials which are more efficient, have broader applications and be more easily recovered after their useful life. Circular materials can be recycled, reused and repurposed. Fewer products will be destined for the waste stream which means less degradation of oceans, waterways, forests and air.

As an example, we have circular package called “YourCOR” that allows customers to recycle their own raw material stream to create new ECOR panels and products for their own use. And these products can be fully recovered and reused for producing new ECOR panels. We successfully executed similar fully circular projects with Avery Dennison, for trade show displays, and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, for interior construction enclosures.

ECOR engaged in many collaborative projects such as with top brands like InnerWorkings(＊2) and DSM-Niaga(＊2). How does collaboration empower your company?

A completely circular model will rely on cooperation and partnerships within the ecosystem. A company cannot stand alone and be fully circular. It takes a village, or, better perhaps, it takes a “constellation” of companies fully integrated in inputs and outputs to create “full circularity”. Together, this “constellation of companies” can become a larger, more efficient, fully integrated organism and creates powerful benefits.
Working closely with highly advanced companies like DSM-Niaga magnifies the sustainability and potency of all our companies.

(＊2)
DSM-Niaga is a DSM venture established in 2014. Niaga® has the mission to redesign everyday products from the ground up. The aim is to make products fully recyclable in an easy and affordable way without compromising on quality or price.

(＊3)
InnerWorkings, Inc. is the leading global marketing execution firm serving Fortune 1000 brands across a wide range of industries. They serve comprehensive outsourcing enterprise solutions for many industries.

Understanding of, and respect for, natural law bring a better and circular world

How do you think biotechnology and other cutting-edge technologies change our future?

Natural phenomena is the best conceptual model for circular economics and design. In addition, these natural principals must be translated into new materials and new products by new technologies. “Biotech and cutting edge technologies” now means technologies which address a far more extensive range of criteria and new specifications. Not only are inputs and outputs important, but recovery of outputs and acceptance and utilization of those as new inputs are important. As an example, our ECOR technologies are fundamentally different and more advanced than previous structural material and panel technologies. We must start with, or process, waste and underutilized materials, then input them into an ultra-clean manufacturing process. The process itself must have deep circularity even within the operation of the core manufacturing phase, independent of the particular raw material. Then the finished products must be resource efficient and fully recoverable at any phase of use, at any time in the future, for re-entry into the ECOR production process to make new products.

We have been committed to, and have succeeded in, building an entire, holistic, turnkey “ECOR Ecosystem” which incorporates the entire range of: raw materials, core production, post-production and product applications, and recovery of ECOR for re-introduction into new ECOR products. This is full circularity.

What is the final goal of ECOR or Noble Environmental Technologies?

Our goals are very clear. First, cleaner, healthier, more circular products resulting from our new technologies. Second, new systems and products which will have significant impact on people’s lives, including products which are healthy, and new buildings and building components which will cause the invention of new architypes, which will have extremely profound improvements to people’s lives, globally.

What is your ideal relationship between human and nature?

Human understanding of, and respect for, natural law, is paramount. All people are, in principal, natural organisms dependent on the natural environment, and the more clearly we understand this, and respect this, the more rich our experiences will be in nature. When we imagine nature, we imagine purity and beauty and life energy. Capturing this in our activities, and in what we produce, is, I believe, extremely fulfilling. Our focus is on bringing to realization a better, healthier world.