50 YEARS OF INNOVATION

Stephen Quill founded Ecological Fibers in 1972 as a domestic distributor of binders’ board and book construction materials. From there, production quickly grew to include our now signature line of FSC® certified dyed-through Rainbow® colored Kraft papers. Flexibility and innovation have since helped propel us to the status as the global leader in the environmentally-sound manufacturing of covering materials and design solutions.

In 1979, Ecological Fibers expanded from a sole facility in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, through the acquisition of the Narragansett Coated Paper Corporation. There, we began adding new lines of coated products to the repertoire. Before this was made possible, however, owner Stephen Quill prioritized the health and safety of his employees, customers, and the planet.

In a time when environmental standards were considered a novel idea, our owner saw first-hand the undesirable conditions resulting from the coating process. He vowed that the only way Ecological Fibers would proceed with operations would be to do so clean or not do so at all. Working to create the highest quality material in the safest way possible meant inventing revolutionary water-based coatings that do not contain hazardous solvents. To do so was no easy feat, but because of our proven success, the entire industry followed suit, changing the way coated papers were created and stopping incalculable amounts of chemicals from being used.

Nobody attempted to do what we set out to accomplish back in 1979. Still, through trials and tribulations, persistence, patience, and the tireless efforts of those working behind the scenes to develop these aqueous coatings, we have since managed to create the highest quality water-based, solvent-free cover materials in the world, all without losing track of our bottom line the health and safety of our employees, customers, and the environment.