Paper Made From Stone Tempts Japan’s Top Printer to Invest
- Toppan Printing forms alliance with materials start-up TBM
- TBM uses water-saving Limex technology for business cards
Toppan VRscope, left, and TBM's Limex paper.
Source: TBM Co.This article is for subscribers only.
Japan’s biggest printing company is funding a start-up that makes paper out of rock, in a bid to diversify into new materials and as environmental concerns push companies to seek more sustainable products.
Toppan Printing Co., the nation’s largest by sales, will form an alliance with TBM Co. that could see posters, catalogs and stickers manufactured out of limestone, a plentiful material in otherwise resources-scarce Japan. Their ambition is to create a business with revenue of 50 billion yen ($444 million) by the end of the decade, according to a release from the two Tokyo-based companies on Friday.