Tyvek

Tyvek is material made by DuPont consisting of 100% high density polyethylene (HDPE) making it very tough and durable. The material is made by spinning fine fibres together and then bonding them through heat and pressure. It is very similar to visually appears a lot like paper but is also similar to film and fabric and acts in a similar way to all three, it can be printed onto, is water resistant and can be sewn and made into clothing, there are two kinds depending on the purpose of the application, Tyvek can appear more like a textile or paper.
It is quite often used for arm bands at festivals as it is tear resistant, isn't affected if folded and wont be affected by water or any other kind of liquid. Tyvek is frequently used in the food industry as it can be treated to be used in direct contact with food and is also used for children's toys as it has no chemicals which could be absorbed in placed in a mouth. This also means that if it were disposed of into landfill no chemicals would be leaked into the environment as it is chemically inert and contains no binders.
I wanted to get hold of some to test out how well it would work if used for my origami, after emailing DuPont requesting a sample they sent me some product information about it but haven't sent me any to test out. I also tried a branch of theirs in Swindon though I had no reply. I'd really like to try it out and if I had more time I could request a sample from the Cloth House in London. The Cloth House offer small samples of materials which students or people wouldn't be able to afford if they had to buy a large quantity. I'd like to test sewing it and finding a way to apply it to the origami which would take advantage of all its properties, it could be used in the shower or in ways where it could be folded up small like a bag and taken out when needed. If I requested a sample of the Tyvek it could also be useful in other projects where I needed a durable material or simply decided to print onto it and sew it.