HiWood’s technical progress over the past year has been recognized with both the SAMPE 2025 Innovation Award and the CCE–JEC 2025 Innovation Award. Following these two major international awards and a strategic co-development partnership with Michelin’s ResiCare, Freshape returned to JEC World 2026 with a significantly expanded HiWood portfolio, demonstrating that natural fiber reinforcement can meet the technical demands of high-performance composite applications.
Under the tagline “Wood Redefined for High Performance,” we showcased new material grades, advanced structural formats, and next-generation prototypes across aerospace, mobility, sports, and industrial sectors.
HiWood is the world’s first wood fiber paper reinforcement for composites, originally unveiled at JEC World 2025. With a density of approximately 1.3 g/cm³ and a Young’s modulus exceeding 40 GPa, the material was engineered to overcome the traditional performance limitations of natural fibers, and has continued to impress at exhibitions across the globe.
New Fire-Retardant and Luxury Finishing Grades
Freshape will introduce a new flame-retardant HiWood plate, developed to meet strict fire safety requirements in transportation and industrial sectors.
Through targeted treatment, HiWood forms a dense protective char layer under heat exposure, blocking oxygen and heat transfer and enabling self-extinguishing behavior. Laboratory testing confirms compliance with UL94 V-0 standards, including low smoke density and combustion products primarily composed of water vapor and CO₂.
A second major development is a new finishing grade of HiWood designed for luxury applications, delivering refined surface aesthetics while maintaining structural performance.
Together, these grades expand HiWood’s applicability into rail, aerospace interiors, automotive components, and high-end consumer products.
Expanded Material Forms for Engineering Flexibility
To provide greater design freedom and structural versatility, Freshape will showcase three new HiWood formats:
HiWood Honeycomb
A wood-fiber core structure engineered for lightweight load distribution. Demonstrated inside performance sports equipment, the honeycomb geometry enhances stiffness, vibration control, and durability without adding unnecessary mass, opening pathways for aerospace, rail, and mobility applications.
HiWood Weave
A multi-plane reinforcement designed for complex 3D geometries. Its woven architecture allows forming across compound curves while enabling aesthetic variation in pattern and color. Produced in-house and compatible with scalable processes, HiWood Weave bridges prototyping and future industrial production.
HiWood Flame Retardant Plate
A structural panel solution engineered for safety-critical applications, demonstrating how treated wood fiber can transition from combustible material to certified fire-resistant composite.
Fully Bio-Based Composite System in Partnership with Michelin ResiCare
In a landmark development, Freshape has entered a strategic co-development partnership with Michelin’s ResiCare brand to engineer a fully bio-based composite system.
By combining HiWood reinforcement with ResiCare’s aerospace-grade bio-based araminolic resin, the two companies are developing lightweight porous structures that match traditional composite performance while significantly reducing reliance on petroleum-based inputs.
This collaboration represents a convergence of:
Biomimetic structural design
High-performance green chemistry
Industrial-scale resin expertise
Early testing indicates parity with traditional composite structures in key performance indicators, positioning the system for aerospace, rail, automotive, and advanced mobility sectors.
HiWood at JEC World 2026
Visitors enjoyed an expanded prototype collection, including:
+ Industrial drone structures
+ Helmet shells
+ Snowshoe rackets
+ Pickleball and padel rackets
+ Automotive rims
+ Cycling frames
Engineers from Freshape’s R&D team were present to discuss technical data sheets, molding processes, hygrothermal behavior, and structural performance in detail.
About Freshape SA
At Freshape, we are on a mission to build regenerative, intelligent ecosystems that bridge the gap between modern living and the natural world. As a Swiss GreenTech company, we develop breakthrough materials and cutting-edge solutions that empower industries to reduce environmental impact while enhancing performance and creativity.
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