PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

Adapting an Ancient Technique.

HUUN founder Mark Callaghan’s interest in Mayan paper came about naturally as a result of his strong interest in Pre-Hispanic cultures and his background in Fine Arts.

In 1985 he began researching methods of adapting the ancient techniques to be more ecologically sound since the original techniques used the inner bark of the ficus tree.

Rather than harvesting trees, Mark began investigating a wide range of renewable fibers including field grasses, corn and papaya. But it was the discovery of the amazing properties of the sanseviera plant that ultimately created the new HUUN paper that we see today.

Sanseviera (otherwise known as “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue”) grows very quickly and is a hearty plant which thrives even in difficult conditions.

The ancient hu’un techniques had to undergo further revision due to the use of plant fibre rather than the traditional ficus bark. Mark borrowed some elements from the traditional Japanese washi techniques in order to accommodate the change in material.

The end result is a strong, flexible paper that is suitable for a wide range of uses.