Vistafolia to drive sustainability with new partnership

Globally renowned creator and Accredited Supplier of artificial green walls, Vistafolia, has launched a pioneering collaboration with the University of Surrey to create a new base polymer, the material that their artificial plants are made from, using renewable sources, while maintaining the established safety and design standards of its market-leading product.

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) will see Vistafolia’s own research and development team working with two KTP Associates, Dr Elham Ketabchi and Dr Filip Ambroz, who, with the support of Dr Sadhukhan, Dr Roth and Dr Mohagheghian from the University of Surrey will transfer and embed their existing knowledge in biomass processing and materials science respectively, to enable Vistafolia to become the first and only artificial plant manufacturer to move towards a bio-based polymer. British innovation is a core part of the company’s roots, and the KTP further cements their support of the sector.

The naturalistic green wall panels are currently produced to directly replicate the organic movement and texture of living walls, with each bespoke design being curated to fit the individual needs of the space and location, using a selection of shapes and hues to add colour and dimension. The new formulation will also replace the current fire-retardant additive with a more environmentally friendly version that will enhance the new product’s non-toxic and recyclable qualities, while also retaining a high standard of fire retardancy and UV stability.

Proposed sustainability properties of the new bio-polyethylene product include:

• Saving 70 tonnes of petroleum-based plastic being used in production per year by Vistafolia with the new bio-polymer formulation.
• Net carbon-neutrality when manufacturing Vistafolia’s products with the bio-polyethylene material.

For more information visit vistafolia.com