A material research into the soft rush in which different elements of this dominant and usually unwanted cosmopolitan weed are developed into materials like paper, textile, foam & a construction material.

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The soft rush is mostly known from the woven Japanese tatami mats for which the plant is cultivated, but in most countries the soft rush is considered a weed. In the Netherlands, thousands of kilo's of soft rush plants are removed from nature by State forestry every year.

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By separating the pith from the fibres new application possibilities are created. The fibres can be developed into materials like paper, corrugated cardboard, rope, non-wovens and textiles.

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The pith of the soft rush is a foam. This material possesses lightweight, shock-resistant and insulating properties that make it suitable as ecological packaging material. The packaging material can be applied as tangled noodle strings or as a compressed foam block without adding any bonding additives. In addition to that, the foamy pith can be compressed in different densities, which also makes it suitable as a lightweight construction material that can be applied in furniture.