They say that necessity is the mother of invention and a look back at some of the products displayed at the recently concluded Paperworld Middle East 2016 exhibition shows just how much that phrase rings true.

The drive towards sustainability and demand for green products was plain to see at the event as exhibitors such as 3M Double A and Parax highlighted the latest trend-setting products on display at their stalls. Experts at each of the stalls noted that the UAE's plans for a greener future and consumer knowledge on eco-friendly products were driving the push for innovation in sustainability.

3M were at the exhibition to highlight their Post-it Dry Erase Surface product an effective efficient replacement for a traditional whiteboard. Adnan Ahmed Khan general sales and marketing manager at 3M Gulf explained that the product was a single sheet of white paper with an adhesive side - simply peel of the sticker and stick the sheet to any surface.

"The linchpin of 3M has been innovation and this product is the latest in our portfolio which celebrates that drive. It is the most modern sustainable mobile and user-friendly solution for a whiteboard. A whiteboard normally gets dirty is extremely heavy and bulky and is very difficult to move around. Our new product is a simple sheet of paper that can be placed on any surface. The only thing we wont suggest is you sticking it to a glass surface as glass is more sensitive to changes in temperature" he told Khaleej Times.

"We have two basic fundamentals at 3M - Idea to Innovation and Consumer to Innovation. This product falls under the latter category as it was created with the end users in mind" Khan said adding that the product is already available in markets across the UAE having been officially launched in the last quarter of 2015. Post-it Dry Erase Surface is currently available in two different size sheets which are guaranteed to last through more than 2800 rubs with a cleaning cloth. Khan also said that the main demand for the product has come from the education and corporate sectors. "We expect the demand from the education sector to drive the sales in the region" he said.

Like Khan Thirawit Leetavorn senior executive vice president of Double A talked about the shift towards sutainability in the paper industry. "Consumers are becoming well aware of their impact to the environment and this has triggered their growing preference towards environmental friendly products such as Double A" he noted. Speaking on the fact that agriculture is the backbone of Thailand's economy he explained: "Over 43 per cent of Thailand is agricultural land but not everything is utilised; such as the space between the rice paddies called KHAN-NA. We utilise KHAN-NA for the growth of the Double A paper tree providing Double A with a sustainable source of raw materials protecting natural forests and providing up to eight per cent additional income for around 1.5 million Thai farming families. This model not only ensures that we are not taking land away from food production but also enables us to use natural resources sustainably."

If there was an award for the most sustainable product at the exhibition then Parax's Stone Paper would be the undisputed winner. John Zanjani director of Parax spoke about how the product is made of Calcium Carbonate and Polyethylene and requires absolutely no wood from trees. A durable and tough product Stone Paper has drawn the attention and gained the loyalty of thousands of people from different professions. The paper is fully recyclable waterproof tear and stain resistant is amazingly smooth to the touch and offers a beautiful white finish.

"Chefs in the kitchen use it without having to worry about sauce stains smudging their recipes. Sport referees also use it as do map makers in London since it stays perfectly fine in the rain. Car mechanics sailors scuba divers and underwater researchers all use it. Children love writing on it during bath time since they can write underwater!" Zanjani said.

"A book made with this paper lasts 10 times longer than one made of wood pulp because it doesn't absorb moisture or bacteria" he added. "As far as pricing goes the notebooks made out of the stone paper cost about the same as regular paper notebooks while the raw paper costs about 20 per cent more than regular paper. However buying this product is like an investment because it is guaranteed to last for such a long time. Also traditional raw paper is made in such large quantities so the price is quite low. If we made this paper in those quantities I can guarantee that it will be much cheaper since it uses no water in its production and only 50 per cent of the energy."

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