Fibermark may not be a household name but chances are you’ve seen some of their products in your every day life. In the paper industry, Fibermark is well-known in boutiques, narrow niches, and other vertical markets within that realm. And for good reason – their products deliver style, functionality, and performance. One could call them the “little known wonder” of the paper industry.

Which leads us to the question, who is Fibermark? Fibermark is a specialty paper company that sells a variety of items. Many of their products are semi finished, meaning that another company is going to further manipulate the materials before they are sold. For example, MyBinding purchases large cut sheets from Fibermark that we then cut down to size for binding covers. These covers are packaged and sold under the MyBinding name in much the same way that other materials are turned into a book and sold by a publisher.

However, lest you think that binding covers is all that Fibermark has to offer, let’s check out one of their hot new products: fiber-based cards to replace PVC. These are things like gift cards, hotel key cards, and the like. When we sat down and spoke with Greg Wall, regional sales manager for Fibermark, he showed us a few examples of these FiberCards. They look, feel, and sound like PVC cards, it was amazing. They are manufactured with high-density fiberboard. Because of their applications, they are designed to be durable, have a printable surface, convert cleanly (no fibers left from the die-cut corners), and are also fully recyclable.

Speaking of recyclable, another interesting product coming out from Fibermark is a biodegradable horticultural FiberTag. In English, it’s the plastic tag that comes with your plants to tell you how to use them. Now gardeners won’t have to spend time picking up all those plastic tags, as they will simply be absorbed into the soil within 90 days.

Another Fibermark product is Touche, a soft matte finish that is luxuriously smooth to the touch. Rumor has it that Touche was developed specifically for Jennifer Lopez who wanted a skin-like material for the outside of her perfume bottle. We asked Greg, but he opted to neither confirm nor deny this rumor. He did say, however, that Fibermark uses long fibers of flexible soft woods, such as eucalyptus. This makes their materials softer and more durable than others. Plus, the majority of their materials are made in the USA, with one plant in the UK. They even have an entire facility that operates completely on used vegetable oil from New York City. Located in Vermont, this oil-fueled plant has operated on recycled vegetable oil for almost five years.

Which brings us to other environmental initiatives by Fibermark. They do use recycled pulp whenever they can and are licensed to make FSC certified products. In reality, FSC and SFI are both important eco-friendly certifications. You may have heard of FSC as it is the one that took off and is more common. However, SFI may actually be more legitimate and genuine. And while FSC certified materials are certainly better for the environment, the higher cost associated with said items often drive down the demand. This is why you find various percentages listed on FSC certified materials – the higher the percentage, the higher the cost.

So, if you’re looking for high quality, American-made, unique paper for your business, Fibermark is the way to go.