Startup producing paper from limestone not trees

Paper manufacturing industry has been a key contributor to deforestation activities, a picture that is likely to change soon with an innovation by a Japanese startup TBM Co. The company is using limestone, “an almost inexhaustible” resource, to manufacture paper through a process that does need trees and even water.

Whereas a ton of ordinary paper requires almost 20 trees and 100 tons of water, TBM’s paper needs less than a ton of limestone and no water, writes Bloomberg.

The stone paper scores over the ordinary one on several parameters, for example, it is smoother, durable, moisture-resistant, tear-resistant and just as foldable, notes Global Futurist.