Fortress Paper Ltd.

Though natural fibres have been around for thousands of years, the discovery of synthetic fibres is a relatively new occurrence. Developed as a way to offset some of the “problems” caused by natural fibres such as moths, wrinkles, and wear, rayon and nylon were created nearly 100 years ago. Though these fibres came to fruition a century ago, scientists had been trying to make artifical fibres for nearly 200 years before. The first attemp...

Retailers labeling rayon products as bamboo products in an effort to reach a new market will soon have to change their labels. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – a US agency for consumer protection – updated its textile guidelines this week, targeting companies such as Macy’s, Amazon and Walmart who label rayon clothing as bamboo clothing. The designation is misleading for consumers, says the FTC. “Rayon is a man-made fiber cre...

One of the main products created from dissolved pulp is rayon. While rayon is predominately used in the textile industry to make silk-like clothing, it is also used for plastic products such as cellophane and film. Aside from these products, however, rayon filament is also used in a product many of us use every single day: tires. Using rayon in tires is not a new development. Prior to “the nylon revolution” (the period when tire manufac...

With the recent acquisition of a near-bankrupt mill in Thurso, Quebec, Vancouver’s Fortress Paper announced its plans to convert the one time pulp mill into a world-class producer of specialty cellulose. Specialty cellulose (also known as dissolving pulp) is a product used in the textile industry to manufacture a silk-like fiber called rayon typically used to make clothing. So how exactly do you get from wood to wearable? Rayon begins ...

This week, Vancouver-based paper maker Fortress Paper announced a new venture (read "Fortress Paper Announces An Acquisition To Enter The Specialty Cellulose and Bio Energy Sectors") acquiring a mill in Thurso, Quebec with the intention of transforming wood pulp into specialty cellulose. Derived from dissolving wood pulp to its organic core, specialty cellulose is a most often used in the textile industry for the production of rayon So ...

Transforming dissolving pulp to rayon since its discovery hasn’t been an overnight process. Many key figures have been instrumental in the “invention” of rayon over the past 150 years. This article takes an in-depth look at some of the crucial innovators for this fabric. The fact that nitrocellulose is soluble in organic solvents such as ether and acetone, made it possible for Georges Audemars to develop the first "artificial silk"...

Most investors cringe and run when they learn that the company they've invested in is abruptly changing course. [caption id="attachment_999" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Fortress Paper President and CEO Chad Wasilenkoff. Source: The Globe and Mail"][/caption] That explains why Fortress Paper shares were bruised last Friday, after the company announced that it was buying a pulp mill from a bankrupt operator in Quebec. Fortress...