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A pilot plant collaboration between Yinka Dene Economic Development Limited Partnership (YLP), the business arm of Wet’suwet’en First Nation in north-central British Columbia, and the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, is turning forestry waste into biodegradable foam packaging.

Called wood foam, the product is an environmentally-friendly alternative to plastic foam packaging.

Plastic foam packaging, such as Styrofoam, is handy, but every year millions of tonnes of it end up in landfills, where it can last for more than 500 years.

Wood foam, on the other hand, breaks down in the soil in only a few weeks.

The wood waste used to make wood foam comes from B.C. sawmills, municipal solid waste streams and paper recycling sources, says Reg Ogen, president and CEO of YLP.

The idea for the project comes from a partnership of YLP and Dr. Feng Jiang in UBC’s department of wood science.

The pilot plant in East Vancouver is operated by DicinFoam, a majority-owned subsidiary of YLP.

Dicin (pronounced DIH-chun), is the Wet’suwet’en word for wood.

Dr. Yale Zhu, co-founder of the technology and YLP chief technology officer, explains how wood waste is transformed into packaging.

First, wood waste residuals are cleaned and processed into fibres. Then, the fibres are added to water and non-toxic substances to form a slurry.

Finally, the mixture is shaped in a mold, de-watered and oven-dried to produce a lightweight, wood-based foam.

“The wood foam is designed to be an alternative to Styrofoam, with several applications,” says Zhu. “We’re focused on protective packaging and thermal insulation.

“In building �鶹��ýӳ��, the wood foam can serve as a thermal insulation panel or loose batting. At the pilot plant we are working on which organic waterproofing, insecticide proofing and fireproofing additives is best for our purpose.”

Wood foam packaging is not yet for sale.

“Once proof of concept is completed in the next 12 months, we are hoping (if the regulatory agencies are satisfied) we will have products out in two years,” says Zhu.

When it first hits the market, wood foam packaging is expected to be about 20 per cent more expensive than the plastic foam equivalent.

“But we feel confident that the price will decrease as we scale up production,” he says.

The next phase of the project envisions a larger facility in Burns Lake, B.C., which is located in Wet’suwet’en territory, that can produce 1,000 tonnes of biodegradable foam per year.

This expansion will anchor a forest-based innovation hub and is expected to create up to 15 jobs.

Zhu says YLP has applied for government funding but hasn’t yet received an answer.

“Our target timeline depends also on completing our proof of concept, which we anticipate will be in 2027,” he says.

The goal of the Burns Lake facility is to create a strong forest bio-economy with significant First Nations participation.

“It would be a collaborative hub that supports research and development of innovative sustainable uses for lumber and forest products,” sayz Zhu. “YLP believes that Indigenous holistic perspectives and knowledge, based on our experience in this research, can assist in reinvigorating the forest sector especially in the value-added manufacturing realm and strengthening the traditional industry.”

The company also hopes to expand to a 15,000-tonne facility on Vancouver Island that will create 35 to 60 new jobs.

YLP was established in 2012, with a mandate to increase the well-being of each Wet’suwet’en First Nation member today and for future generations.

“Six years ago, this was a unique relationship between a First Nation business entity and UBC where ideas came together in a lab,” says Zhu. “Our idea came from the Wet’suwet’en First Nation Elders, who asked why we are so disrespectful to each tree we harvested, even after it had nourished us, only to leave 30 per cent to be piled up and burned. Why can’t we find a use for the portion that we burn?”

The intellectual property (IP) behind wood foam is co-owned by YLP and UBC.

Zhu says this is one of the first times in UBC history that it has shared IP ownership of a technology that it has developed all or in part.

YLP owns the exclusive license for distribution rights to the technology.

UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan supports research initiatives that are “reciprocal, community-led, legitimize Indigenous ways of knowing and promote Indigenous peoples’ self-determination.”

Says Ogen, “Without UBC’s assistance and willingness to partner we would not have had the opportunity to access critical resources in business development, IP registration and management, engineering, wood science and forest management.”