was born by cleaning used milk and alcohol cartons and recycling them to create cardboard. Mildan is unique for its white appearance, derived from its milk carton material, and its sturdiness utilizing the pulp fiber length.The photo above is a cross section of Mildan. Not only the liners constitut-ing both sides of the cardboard, but also the fluted inner sheets are stark white.Mr. Taniguchi explains that the Anywhere Outpatient Fever Clinicspread of Covid-19 infections on the Diamond Princess in 2020 triggered the company to handle Mildan.“I knew a clinical laboratory tech-nician that worked at the hospital re-ceiving Covid-19 patients from the ship. They asked me if I could help make cardboard partitions to sepa-rate hospital areas. After preparing the materials and listening to the voices of frontline workers, we created the “Any-where Outpatient Fever Clinic,” a sim-plified examination booth. We deliv-ered to medical associations as well.”The Anywhere Outpatient Fever Clinic allows medical workers on the outside to conduct PCR tests and more on patients inside the booth. Because it is made of cardboard, it is lightweight and easy to carry and can be set up effortlessly in limited spaces like a clin-ic. It can also be folded up and stored away when not in use.“One of the biggest advantages was that doctors could test patients in their usual uniforms instead of having to put on medical gowns. We received much attention at first because the product was aired on television. How-ever, the original version was made of ordinary brown cardboard, so there was feedback such as, ‘The brown color lacks cleanliness,’ and, ‘It starts to lose shape over time.’ But chang-ing the booth to plastic would make it heavier and more expensive, so that’s when we decided to try using Mildan.”The current Anywhere Outpa-includes tient Fever Clinic the (W68×D76×H170cm), made from Mildan, and the Deluxe S (W88×D61×H152cm), made from dura-ble “Re-board” cardboard. The com-pany has delivered approximately 350 products, mainly to medical associa-tions in the Kanto region. Mr. Taniguchi S-type lineup says, “Since we switched the materi-al to Mildan, we haven’t received any complaints, and reception has been positive overall.”“Milk cartons are made of virgin pulps that have long pulp fibers. Card-board is usually made from recycled paper, often recycled two or three times, so the fiber length becomes increasingly shorter, resulting in soft-er products. But Mildan is made from virgin pulp in its first cycle, maintaining the fiber length, and increasing dura-bility.” (Mr. Taniguchi)Another advantage of Mildan is that it produces excellent color. Thanks to its white surface, it can be printed on directly without the need for white ink, allowing for flexo printing, IJ printing, and more. Mr. Taniguchi says, “It’s per-fect for packages for high value-added products, such as organic foods.”To utilize its highly chromogenic properties, the company has drawn attention to applications that com-bine Mildan and printing. For example, graphic panels have conventionally been made by pasting printed objects onto foam core boards, but a panel was printed directly onto Mildan and exhibited at the “World’s Most Beau-tiful Insects Exhibition (Sekaiichi Ut-sukushi Konchuten)” at Nagasaki’s Huis Ten Bosch Museum in 2021.56Spread of infections on Diamond Princess triggered handlingMilk cartons collected from supermar-kets and other outlets have conven-tionally been recycled into tissues or toilet paper. Meanwhile, for Mildan, a specialized paper recycling company recycles collected milk cartons into cardboard paper, which is then pro-cessed into Mildan by a cardboard manufacturer. The cartons’ internal barrier layer (aluminum) and external ink are removed during the paper recy-cling process.Long fiber length prevents “warping”The “warping” issue for traditional cardboard was solved by using Mildan, and the secret is said to lie in the fibers constituting the material.Highly chromogenic and can be used as resin board alternatives
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