Pine trees are the world’s main source of timber. When pine trees are cut down, the needles are often left behind as waste. With pine needles contributing to about 30 percent of the tree’s mass, that adds up to an enormous amount of material being left behind. That was until Tamara Orjola of the Design Academy Eindhoven, started a project called Forest Wool. The project is based on the experimentation of using pine needles as textiles, composites, and paper. She has produced a series of stools and carpets using pine needles alone, and was recently featured during Dutch Design Week 2016.

Tamara explains, “My material experimentation ends in tactile products like stools and mats that communicate about the potential of materials currently discarded by industrial production.” Pine needles are composed of cellulose and lignin, and essential oils and dyes can be extracted from them. By treating the needles, they can be transformed into paper, textiles, and composite materials. This makes them a good alternative material for cotton and coir. Proper consumption of the entire pine tree can decrease the demand of other natural resources and wood itself. Tamara’s discovery of new uses for pine needles raises the question of what other wood waste materials can be upcycled. Perhaps the billions of Christmas tree needles sprinkled across the floors of the world can be given another life after the holidays. — Liah Johnson