Long-Term Vision: Smarter Materials, Better Products

We’re not stopping at soap and candles.

GLC is exploring product innovation through the lens of wood chemistry and biomaterials. After a major ice storm in 2025, tons of fallen wood went to waste as mulch. But with the right knowledge, those same trees could’ve become boats, biofuels, or biodegradable plastics.

That’s the kind of shift we’re after: smarter use of what we already have.

We’re building a roadmap for sustainable product development — one that tackles real-world issues, like:

• Filtering stormwater runoff to reduce toxins entering our water supply

• Prototyping solutions that protect public health (e.g., birth defect risk from pollutants)

• Turning overlooked natural materials into high-performance products