Maine-Native, Donna Cassese tells TEDx why she thinks the Paper Industry is Sexy

Donna Cassese, who works at Sappi North America, a Biobased Maine member company, recently gave a truly engaging and enlightening TEDx Talk. This talk focused on the myriad uses of cellulose and Sappi’s role as a cellulose manipulator in advancing the bioeconomy.

“almost anything that can be made from petroleum, can be made from wood. Bioplastics, jet fuel, chemicals. And the world is very, very interested in replacing petroleum with a renewable product like wood” – Donna Cassese, Managing Director of Wood Resource Strategy at Sappi North America

Since 1995, Sappi has owned and operated the Westbrook Mill. In Donna’s TEDx Talk, she cites that Sappi still operates a machine produced in 1905. However, despite the paper industry’s long history, and despite Sappi’s use of some older equipment, Donna says that when she thinks of the paper industry, “the words that come to [her] mind are: innovative, and sexy”.

Sappi considers themselves cellulose manipulators, rather than paper makers. The company makes textures and patterns (known as release paper), which their customers use as a reusable mold for fabrics that make handbags, sneakers, soccer balls, and other materials including car dashboards. In addition to these decorative patterns, Sappi is considering innovation to make functional patterns. Functional release paper would mimic patterns found in nature that naturally inhibit bacterial growth. This paper mold could be used to make fabrics used in hospitals to reduce the presence of bacteria without the use of chemicals.

Further innovation at Sappi, Donna says, could combine textures and chemistry to produce surfaces that harvest water in the air to make drinking water.

And Sappi’s pulp mill in Minnesota already makes dissolving pulp used to make fabrics labeled on clothing as tencel, rayon, and modal. Dissolving pulp, she says, can also be made into bioplastics, or used as a thickener for low-fat food products like yogurt and cheese, to make them taste better.

Like Biobased Maine, Donna knows that, “almost anything that can be made from petroleum, can be made from wood. Bioplastics, jet fuel, chemicals. And the world is very, very interested in replacing petroleum with a renewable product like wood.”