Bark Cloth

id card

Tree bark

composition

Cellulose

building blocks

Organic

material origin

Non-woven, Sheet

shape

9 – actual system proven in operational environment

TRL

Materials such as BARK CLOTH have become important topics in industrial design, fashion and interior design with their high grade of authenticity and widely recognized deep texture.

Originating from the bark of Ugandan rainforests, it undergoes traditional craftsmanship and processes specific to the indigenous groups of people local to these regions, supporting their cultural identity - and comparatively, is headstrong to stay on the path to even become a branding tool for Uganda and Honduras as a whole.

BARK CLOTH is also the base for a number of textile and composite materials that derive and take from it's organic, flowy nature.

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Properties

Different bark textures depending on the tree. Each one is unique in its own special way.

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Traditional BARK CLOTH: translucent, heat-resistant up to 200 ºC with no heat damage, three-dimensionally deformable.

− Area weight (EN 12127): 90–380 g/m²

− Thickness (EN ISO 5085): 0.30–3.50 mm

− Density measurement with Multi-Pycnometer: 0.8–1.0 g/cm³

− Surface density m/V: 0.01–0.02 g/cm³

− Air permeability: 1512–4692 mm/s

− Porosity/Pore volume: 65.9–80.1 %

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Tuno BARK CLOTH: Stronger, thicker texture. Can be treated (e.g. with textile, leather or wood auxiliaries) in a way that it either features higher functionality (e.g. water repellant or abrasion resistant behaviour, higher flexibility, higher durability against tearing & etc.) or has a different look (designed tuno, e.g. through bleaching or various dyeing techniques - patterns akin to their traditional craft & nature's lovely incentive).

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Cyclability

The manufacturing process is respectful of social and environmental conditions according to the EU ecological standards. So, 100% eco-friendly.

The manufacturers do not abuse the rainforest's good will in any way, limiting the requisite of harvest to the material's own versatility and buyers intended application.

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APPLICATIONS

BARK CLOTH Traditional - "the mother of all cloths" - proclaimed as one of Earth's oldest materials, it is best suited towards common applications like clothing, but really, anything is an option if you let your creativity wander without any definite boundaries. Therefore - partial substitution of veneer, woven textiles, paper or leather, wall coverings, room dividers, paneling and sun shades, lightweight wall constructions in trade fair construction, door panels, living accessories and ambient lighting effects -just to name a few.

BARK CLOTH Tuno - the intriguing structure and texture this material possesses makes it very suitable for niche purposes such as interior & architectural design.

FOOTWEAR APPLICATIONS

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Production process

This non-woven fabric revives an almost forgotten African craft. The farmers collect the very fibrous barks of the Ficus Natalensis - their national fig tree, crush them, work them, and flatten them to obtain the true shape of non-woven textile materials.

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Tuno bark is washed in water and then beaten with wooden mallets in order to achieve its textilish appearance. Traditionally, it is produced by members of the Miskito and the threatened Tahwaka people, groups with a population of only a few thousand.

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Manufacturing facts

Regarding the traditional bark cloth - the production capacity is up to almost a thousand of meters per year, even though being labelled as a niche product!

production time

Due to the high cost of logistics and the politically and socially desired restrictions in exploiting the rainforest, it seems to be reasonable to assume that only well specialized niche products with a relatively high grade of manufacturing (and therefore high grade of value adding) have chances for sustainable market supply and continuous market demand.

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