While IKEA and other companies have turned flatpacking into one of the major green moves of the furniture industry, Way Basics is changing the material that goes into furniture.

The company's zBoard is a material made up of 99 percent post-consumer recycled paper (the remaining 1 percent is paper as well), completely recyclable and less than half the weight (with the same strength) of particle board.

Way Basics spent 10 years developing the manufacturing process for the zBoards, which the company can create in various sizes and strengths. The zBoards weight 62 percent less than comparable particleboard, and David Barkdull, Way Basics' marketing manager, said they are just as solid and structurally sound as wood furniture.

"ZBoards will last as long or longer than any other furniture when properly cared for," he said. Setting the completed item on the wrong side - such as placing a cube on its side or back instead of the bottom piece - can affect its strength. And water is only a problem if it seeps into the cracks or is left on the material for over a day.

The company offers storage cubes, shelves, tables and desks that are built using zBoards, and is in discussions with other companies to integrate zBoards into existing products like couches. The company has set up an additional website, www.UseMoreZBoard.com, to take requests for special orders and to see how customers would like to see zBoards used.

The individual boards are put together with 3M adhesive strips, requiring no nails, screws or tools, but that also means they are not easily disassembled. The products are made to last, and not meant to be disposed of quickly, but if people do need to get rid of their zBoard-based item, they are completely recyclable, even with the adhesive strips.

Way Basics made sure to check with 3M and Waste Management to see if the strips would impact the products' recyclability, and both said the strips wouldn't hinder it at all.

Images courtesy Way Basics