Stora Enso’s NeoLigno Binder Becomes a Visible Design Feature in Bundle Studio’s New Jacana Lounge Chair

Stora Enso’s NeoLigno Binder Becomes a Visible Design Feature in Bundle Studio’s New Jacana Lounge Chair

(IN BRIEF) Bundle Studio has unveiled Jacana, a new lounge chair developed in collaboration with Stora Enso using NeoLigno®, a bio-based and formaldehyde-free binder made from lignin. Rather than treating the binder as a direct replacement for conventional transparent adhesives, the Copenhagen-based studio used its dark brown colour as a defining design feature. The chair’s chamfered edges and open sides expose the layered molded plywood structure, allowing the darker glue lines to remain visible and become part of the furniture’s expression. The project reflects Bundle Studio’s material-driven design approach and explores how emerging biomaterials can influence not only sustainability but also form, detailing and craftsmanship. Jacana will be presented during 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen alongside material studies, bent laminations and process samples, giving visitors a closer look at the development process. Stora Enso’s NeoLigno® was created as an alternative to fossil-based and formaldehyde-containing binders, introducing a renewable lignin-based component into molded plywood construction.

(PRESS RELEASE) HELSINKI, 10-Jun-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Bundle Studio has developed a new lounge chair that transforms visible glue lines into a deliberate design feature, using Stora Enso’s NeoLigno®, a bio-based and formaldehyde-free binder made from lignin.

The Copenhagen-based design practice created the chair, named Jacana, in collaboration with Stora Enso. The project explores how new biomaterials can influence the form, construction and visual identity of furniture, rather than simply replacing conventional materials in existing production methods.

Jacana will be presented during 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen, where visitors will be able to see how the chair turns an unusual material property into a defining aesthetic detail. NeoLigno® differs from traditional transparent adhesives used in molded plywood because it has a dark brown colour. Bundle Studio used this visual characteristic as a central element of the design.

Instead of concealing the darker adhesive lines, the designers shaped the chair to reveal them. Chamfered edges and open sides expose the layered plywood structure, allowing the glue lines to become part of the chair’s expression. The result highlights both the material composition and the craftsmanship involved in molded plywood production.

Bundle Studio founders Jón Hinrik and Kristine said they wanted to celebrate the material rather than hide it. The exposed layers became a way to show the construction of the chair and bring attention to the possibilities of working with bio-based binders in design-led applications.

NeoLigno® was developed by Stora Enso as an alternative to conventional binders that are fossil-based or contain formaldehyde. The binder is derived from lignin, one of the main natural components of wood, and introduces a renewable material component into molded plywood construction.

Known for its material-led approach, Bundle Studio used Jacana to examine how a binder’s colour, origin and technical qualities can shape the final object. The project treats NeoLigno® not only as a functional adhesive, but also as a material capable of influencing design language, detailing and manufacturing choices.

Alongside the finished lounge chair, Bundle Studio will present a series of material studies, bent laminations and process samples developed during the project. These exhibits will give visitors insight into the testing, experimentation and design decisions behind Jacana.

The project brings together furniture design, biomaterial innovation and wood-based material development, showing how renewable material solutions can create new opportunities for both sustainability and visual expression in contemporary furniture.

Stora Enso: The renewable materials company

Stora Enso is a global leader in renewable materials with a strong focus on packaging. Our purpose is to replace non-renewable materials with renewable solutions. Together with our customers, we design and deliver competitive, high-quality packaging materials and solutions, made from fresh and recycled fibers, accelerating the transition to a circular bioeconomy.