UPM and Ashland Inc. have entered into a cooperative agreement to develop and commercialize products containing UPM’s Biofibrils technology — micro and nanofibrillated cellulose products that can be used for shaping materials and giving them new characteristics. In the biofibrils collaboration UPM and Ashland will jointly study the use of biofibrils in a wide range of industrial application opportunities. For example, biofibrils might be used to improve the quality and performance of a broad array of polymer products ranging from coatings and construction materials to home and car care products as well as energy drilling applications.