The Beluga Chair is a symbol of hope in the landfills flooding with plastics. It’s crafted from recycled fishing nets sourced in France, embodying POLIMAIR’s commitment to environmental responsibility. Designed by Arthur Gaudenz, this innovative chair represents a paradigm shift in furniture design, being the first chair in kit form crafted entirely from 100% recycled plastic.
At its core, the Beluga Chair embodies the ethos of sustainability and durability. Its mono-material construction utilizes discarded fishing nets sourced and recycled in France, eliminating the need for additional materials such as steel screws, glues, or wood. This not only reduces waste but also minimizes CO2 emissions, paving the way for a more eco-conscious future.
POLIMAIR’s visionary approach recognizes the evolving role of plastic—from a durable substitute for ivory in billiard balls to one of the most pressing ecological challenges of our era. In response, the design team advocates for a return to the essence of plastic as a material designed to last. The Beluga Chair stands by this philosophy, embodying four foundational pillars that prioritize sustainability in furniture production.
Central to POLIMAIR’s ethos is the commitment to local craftsmanship and environmental responsibility. From the design conception in Paris to the raw material sourcing from coastal regions such as Brittany, Normandy, Provence, and Occitania, every step of the production process integrates local expertise and promotes sustainable practices. The label “100% Made in France” not only ensures quality but also reinforces the company’s dedication to supporting local communities.
One of the most innovative features of the Beluga Chair is its 100% life guarantee, a testament to its durability and longevity. With the kit format, any damaged part can be easily replaced, ensuring that the chair remains functional for a lifetime. This commitment to product longevity aligns with the company’s mission to prevent its furniture from ending up in landfills. Furthermore, the option for customization allows users to tailor the design to their individual preferences, enhancing the personal connection between the product and its owner.
By embracing the aspects of DIY assembly and customization, it elevates the value of the Beluga Chair beyond mere functionality. It fosters a sense of ownership and creativity, empowering users to actively engage with the product and participate in its lifecycle. This not only enhances the user experience but also underscores the chair’s status as a sustainable lifestyle choice.
The Beluga Chair’s versatility extends beyond its environmental benefits, making it a suitable choice for various interior design aesthetics. Whether paired with a rustic farmhouse table or a sleek modern desk, its minimalist yet elegant design seamlessly integrates into any setting. Furthermore, its vibrant color options add a touch of personality to spaces like studies, libraries, or foyers, where it can serve as a statement piece. Whether opting for bold hues to accentuate contemporary décor or choosing more subdued tones for a classic ambiance, the chair offers endless possibilities for customization, allowing individuals to express their unique style while promoting sustainability.
Flat-packed products like tables and chairs have definitely changed the furniture design landscape and altered consumers’ tastes. But while these designs do make it easy to store, transport, and sometimes assemble pieces of furniture, they often also end up being bland in the name of minimalism, not to mention tedious and cumbersome to repair or dispose of, despite the supposed ease of assembly. Thanks to new manufacturing techniques and technologies, especially 3D printing, there are now alternative methods and designs possible, including a beautiful chair that’s not only made from sustainable materials but is trivial to assemble and disassemble because it doesn’t even use screws or adhesives.
Designer: Eva Dugintseva
3D printing has definitely come a long way from the flimsy plastic materials that they started out with. We can now print objects using a variety of materials, including metal, chocolate, and soon, even wood. It’s even possible to use recycled PS (polystyrene) plastic, which helps reduce the negative impact of mass-produced plastic chairs. That alone already makes the Som Chair concept notable, but that isn’t the only trick it knows, not by a long shot.
Thanks to 3D printing, it was possible to experiment with and use shapes that would normally be costly to pull off on a mass production line. In this case, the chair is made from two separate bent shapes with ridged surfaces that make them look like dozens of plastic tubes stuck to one another. The main structure of the chair has a small gap for the smaller piece to slide into, forming the three legs of the chair. Instead of using glue or screws, this simple mechanism, along with physics, give the chair its stability.
This means that the Som Chair isn’t just easy to assemble, it’s also easy to take apart if you need to move it or even dispose of it. It might be possible to break down and recycle the plastic to make other objects, making it a little bit more sustainable, despite being made of plastic. You can also mix and match designs or replace only parts that are broken, giving the design more longevity as well.
Granted, this design won’t be as flat as a flat-packed chair, but you can package two of these together in a single box. Being 3D printed, there’s also more leeway in possible designs, giving this asymmetrical Memphis Milano chair more personality than your common minimalist yet plain flat-packed variety.
We all look to lamps and other lighting fixtures not just to illuminate but also to set an atmosphere, but most of the time it isn’t the light itself that creates this effect. More often than not, it’s the lampshade, shield, or any other material that reflects, refracts, and diffuses the light in interesting and sometimes mesmerizing ways that can dazzle and even affect our moods. Most of the time, those lamp shields are made of glass, metal, or plastic, but there are other, more interesting alternatives available. This particular design, for example, not only uses a sustainable material, it also gives it a distinctive spin that makes not only the shade but also the light it throws a sight to behold.
Designer: Fuhua Wang, Weichih Chen
It’s not uncommon these days to see recycled plastics being used for design, and a particularly big source is ocean-bound plastic, including PET bottles, bags, and more. Most of the time, the pellets produced from breaking down plastic material are colored to match the requirements of a specific design, but the Ondina sustainable pendant lighting preserves some of the properties of the properties of plastic materials to create a more interesting appearance.
The result is a material that looks similar to terrazzo that is often used in tiles for flooring and walls. The small bits and pieces of color give the translucent blue layer some vibrancy, though it could also be a representation of the pollution that litters the oceans. Coincidentally, or perhaps intentionally, the lamp shield actually has a wavy shape, not unlike the waves of bodies of water.
The pendant lamp itself is actually pretty simple, just an LED aluminum tube hanging from a ceiling by its two ends. The lamp shade is placed some distance above the tube, giving ample space for the light to diffuse and spread rather than being reflected directly by the material. This creates a bluish glow not only around the lamp but also on the ceiling as it passes through the translucent shield. The color is soft and calming, even with a pure white LED, but it also still reflects enough of that bright light so that the lamp functions as more than just a mood lamp, sufficiently illuminating the space around it.
Every part of Ondina is designed to be sustainable and extensible, applying the lamp shade to more than just a pendant lamp. It can be used for wall or floor lamps as well, just with some modification of the design. More importantly, the simple components make it trivial to replace parts that are broken, prolonging the life of the product and preventing it from adding to the waste already swimming in our waters.
While it’s of course always a comfort to be working in a place with air conditioning, there are still times when it might be too cold for you. Or you may sometimes be working outdoors when the weather is a bit too cool / cold for comfort. Not all places have a heater for your convenience so a portable heater may just be the solution. But again, not all portable heaters are actually portable or convenient. This new one from DeLonghi may be the ideal one, and it’s also mindful of the environment.
Designer: Noi Creative for DeLonghi
The DeLonghi Capsule Desk Loop is a personal fan ceramic heater that you can place on your desk or wherever you are working so you can “work or relax in peace.” It has a special air grid design that brings you a convenient airflow speed and distribution when you need that soft warmth for your sedentary activities. The designers call the air grid the Flame pattern which actually creates an illusion of heat and flames from your heating source.
It looks like your typical heater but it’s small enough that you can carry it around with you and it’s also more stylishly designed. It is also more environmentally-friendly than most personal heaters as it uses 50% recycled plastic, a first for a DeLonghi product. It also uses 5.5 times lower energy consumption at just 360W, making it eco-friendly not just in the design but also in its function. It also is not as noisy as normal heaters as it just gives you a quiet 39dB operation so you can really work in peace without an annoying hum in the background.
Having a device that can create your very own micro-climate while working may not be a priority but it is pretty convenient to have especially if you work in places where you can get easily cold. That can solve some of the office arguments that can happen when there’s a mix of people who are either too cold or too warm.
When it comes to functional pieces of furniture, we probably go for items that are able to serve their function (and are most likely affordable) and are not really that concerned with the design or aesthetics. But the past years, a lot of people have also been concerned with how these items are made, specifically with the materials used to create them as we become more conscious about our personal carbon footprint and the things taht we consume.
Designer: Alexander Latersztain for Derlot
The original Stump stool from Derlot were already interesting enough with their “bold, minimalist and uncomplicated” take on this piece of furniture that lets us sit. Now the newest version is the Stump Recycled which carries the same basic structure of the stool but is now made from 80% recycled post-industrial plastic LDPE. And if you’re the type that would go for furniture that’s made sustainability then this should be right up your alley.
Because of the material it’s made from, you also get a different design. The patterns on the stools feature a terrazzo-like design which makes it more textured and colorful look. The original Stump stools had pretty solid colors but this time around you have the option to have a seat with a kaleidoscope-like finish. This is their “fresh interpretation” of how you can use recycled materials to enhance your design as well.
Derlot says that more than just a stool that you can sit on, this is a symbol of their commitment to pursue more sustainable design and production. I don’t know how long I can last sitting on this stool though as it’s small and doesn’t look that comfortable but sure, for sustainability, it’s a pretty interesting piece of furniture to have.
3D printing has come a long way, but unless you’re using industrial printers in large factories, you’re probably limited to creating small designs or just parts of a whole. That, unfortunately, means that creators and makers aren’t able to fully express their ideas and designs, at least not those that involve pieces that can’t fit inside a commercial 3D printer. That said, you don’t have to give up your creative freedom to use an expensive production line if you can put 3D printing robots to smart use, like this sustainable plastic coffee table that is able to form organic geometric forms just by making the robot arm loop round and round.
When people think of 3D printers, they most likely think of those boxy contraptions sitting on tables, with nozzles that quickly run back and forth while oozing out hot plastic material in order to build up a three-dimensional object almost like from thin air. While this is the most common and most convenient kind of 3D printing, it has severe limitations in the size or shape of the object being made, basically anything that can fit the area and height of the printer.
LOOPS is a collection of coffee tables conceived to push the envelope of 3D printing and create objects that are larger than normal without requiring additional hardware. An industrial 3D printing robot pretty much goes round and round to create the base shape, building layer after layer of composite material until the desired form is achieved. This is the process used for creating the base of these tables, allowing the designer to apply different geometric shapes with organic forms that look like they’re literally growing before your very eyes.
The coffee tables are more than just experiments in 3D printing, they are also testaments to beautiful sustainable design. Tabletops are made from 100% recycled plastic that is crushed, melted, and then moulded from used plastic. The 3D printed bases, on the other hand, are made from composite material containing cellulose from responsible forestry. When the tables reach the end of their use, both the base and the top can be recycled or reused to extend their life in a different way.
The LOOPS coffee table collection offers a unique and novel design that pushes the boundaries of 3D printing to produce beautiful shapes and textures that almost resemble traditional ceramic creations. The variety of recycled plastics used gives each tabletop a unique appearance, both in color as well as in texture. The minimalist yet elegant designs make the coffee tables the perfect artistic centerpieces for any space, offering a thought-provoking design that opens your mind to the possibilities of sustainable 3D printing.
The use of plastic in products has almost become so second nature that we spare no thought about how the material affects the environment in the long run. After all, there are plenty of benefits to plastic, such as its resilience, durability, and affordability, that we easily lose sight of long-term disadvantages. Fortunately, there are also more people who have become aware of this situation nowadays, and they have started to either move away from plastic completely or at least incorporate recycled plastics as much as possible. This chair is one of the latter, and while that in itself isn’t exactly extraordinary, the play of contrasting elements creates a harmonious composition that makes it look not only interesting but also welcoming.
“XOX” might sound like an odd name for a chair, especially since it’s synonymous with a simple yet popular paper-and-pencil game. You immediately see the connection, however, when you view it from an angle and notice the two wooden X’s flanking the half-spherical shape that forms the chair’s seat and backrest. The choice of the name may have been based on that visual, but it also represents the very essence of the chair as a combination of contrasting elements.
While the standard design of a chair involves flat surfaces for the seat and backrest, the XOX Chair employs a hollow sphere that has a portion of it chopped off, forming the cavity for a person to sit inside. This circular shape sits in between the long, tubular legs of the chair, spindly in contrast to the fuller mass of the seat itself. Although the legs are the more visible part of the chair, their simpler and thinner forms draw your eyes immediately to the seat instead.
The materials used also contrast and complement each other. The legs are made of wood, a natural material whose grains create minute yet beautiful imperfections that give each piece a unique character. The middle component, however, is made from recycled PET bottles, resulting in a synthetic perfection with almost no blemishes. The seat is also completely transparent, giving it an airy and ethereal imagery that contrasts nicely with the solid and earthy tones of the legs.
This balance of elements yields a design that is both pleasing to look at and comfortable to use. Although it lacks the traditional armrests that add some support and stability to the body, the open spherical shape evokes feelings of openness and spaciousness, as if enveloping the person in protection and warmth. Best of all, it is also a design that is aware of the impact that furniture has on the planet’s health, implementing a sustainable solution that doesn’t compromise aesthetics and functionality in the process.
Ever wondered what happens to that packet of Doritos or Lays once you throw it in the trash? Chances are nothing. Thin plastic packaging (especially the metallic multi-layered kind used for chips/crisps) is notoriously difficult to recycle… which is why realistically, almost 0% of it actually does end up being recycled. “This is because flexible packaging results in a low-value, high volume, composite waste – up to 5-6 different types of materials – that is considered economically and technically impossible to recycle,” explains Anish Malpani, founder and CEO of Ashaya – a social enterprise that aims to increase the value of waste through technological and scientific innovations in recycling. The India-based company has, however, spent the last two years tackling this problem head-on, arriving at a unique solution – a way to turn these low-value plastic packets into granules that can then be injection-molded into sunglasses. Meet the ‘Without rSunglasses’, the world’s first (and only) sunglasses made from packets of chips!
What makes the plastic packaging used for your chips so great, is also what makes it so dangerous. It’s designed to be flexible, lightweight, low-cost, and single-use. Great for the consumer, but not so much for the environment. Trillions of these packets end up in landfills each year, and there’s really nothing much we can do about it. These packets are a majority of the waste collected by waste-pickers too, adding strain to their jobs with no reward because there’s no value in a trashed plastic bag. The folks at Ashaya hope to change that.
The Without rSunglasses look like your typical stylish wayfarers, but as the name suggests, they’re made without virgin plastic, without guilt, without harming the environment, and without exploiting workers. Each pair of matte-black frames contains up to 5 recycled plastic packets that are thrown in the trash. Ashaya’s team of waste-pickers collect the trash from in and around the city of Pune, bring it to the lab, and process the plastic packets into ready-to-mold granules. The result is a pair of frames that look so perfect, you’d think they’re made from virgin plastic… and thanks to Ashaya’s unique business model, the waste-pickers also benefit directly from all of the rSunglasses’ sales.
The frames are made using a patent-pending process that doesn’t just recycle plastic, it invigorates it too. Ashaya’s team chemo-mechanically extracts materials from plastic waste, converting the waste into high-end products that feel just like regular plastic and have the same long-lasting properties too. Each pair of spectacles recycles up to 5 packets of plastic, and although that might not sound like much, the Ashaya team is hoping to scale the technology up. The Without rSunglasses are just their first product, with plans for other plastic items in the pipeline.
UNDP estimates that India alone generates 65 million tonnes of waste each year
The patent-pending chemo-mechanical process to extract plastic from single-use packets
The sunglasses aren’t the only bit of innovation here. Ashaya actually hires its own waste-pickers, pretty much covering the entire supply chain. These otherwise marginalized professionals are made a part of Ashaya’s operations in a more substantive way, with the company following a profit-sharing model with the waste-pickers, ensuring that they’re compensated fittingly for their work. Profits from the sales of Without rSunglasses go towards helping the children of waste-pickers get a quality education, ensuring they have a bright future.
“Waste pickers in India are the backbone of the recycling industry in the country yet there is no formal economy for them. They are informally employed – no contract, no protective gear, no health insurance, while earning only daily wages based on the type of waste they encounter,” says Malpani. “It’s also a generational occupation – once you’re a waste picker, there’s a high probability your child will also become a waste-picker.”
“Our mission at Ashaya is to increase the value of waste, and fairly redistribute that value to stakeholders in the supply chain, especially those who are the most exploited: waste-pickers; to bring them permanently out of the cycle of poverty, while also making our planet better,” Malpani adds.
Smartphones are probably the most common and most widespread consumer electronics today. Almost everyone has one or at least a non-smart cellphone. Some people even have different devices for work and for personal life. And while it’s not uncommon to see people desperately holding on to their phones despite cracked screens, some people do switch models as often as they change wardrobes, trying to keep up with the latest trends and technologies. What all these mean is that, just as there are millions of smartphones out there, there are just as many discarded devices and parts that litter our planet. But the harm that these modern-day necessities does to our planet isn’t just limited to the end of their life. Right from their very birth, they already have adverse effects on the environment, even if not directly. As dire as all these might sound, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel as manufacturers finally taking notice and acting responsibly. The idea of an environment-friendly phone might have been alien a decade ago, but now we can even list the Top 10 smartphones that are making a positive impact on the planet.
When it comes to sustainability, there’s no doubt that the Fairphone is king. It checks off all the right boxes, from choosing not only sustainable materials but also conflict-free sources. Even before the “Right to Repair” trend finally hit the larger brands, Fairphone was already providing the knowledge, tools, and parts that make repairing your own phone almost trivial. It might not be the fulfillment of the modular phone dream of Project Ara, but the Fairphone at least lives the implications of what a modular phone would mean in practice: the ability to easily swap out parts when you need to.
Where the Fairphone lags behind a bit is in offering the latest hardware features. The current Fairphone 4 flagship, for example, is an early 2021 mid-tier phone that offered pretty much only the basics. For people who do only need a reliable handset that will last them for more than just a few years, the Fairphone 4 definitely fits the bill. For others that might want a bit more, there are fortunately now more choices to consider.
Teracube 2e
Fairphone might have been the pioneer, but there are definitely others that took up the challenge to follow in its footsteps. One of those is the Teracube 2e, which found its success in crowdfunding. Fairphone, it is clearly not, but it does bring one of the most desired features that have long been lost in the age of modern smartphones: swappable batteries. Changing the battery is as simple as removing the biodegradable case and lifting the battery up, letting you quickly extend the life of your phone with a spare.
Packaging is also very minimal, throwing out the charger, and using soy ink and recycled paper for printed materials. The Teracube 2e does step a bit backward when it comes to the hardware specs, but it makes up for it with its killer price and four-year warranty. The latter is something that even bigger phone makers don’t dare offer, making this sustainable phone a true trailblazer in that regard.
Shift 6mq
There are plenty of aspects that make a phone sustainable, with repairability and the use of environment-friendly materials at the very top. There is, however, another angle often taken for granted: the sustainability of human resources. This means requiring safe working conditions, which includes the safe and responsible sourcing of fair and conflict-free materials. This is where German company Shift shines the brightest, focusing on making working conditions safer and more humane, and removing controversial materials that have resulted in poor working conditions, particularly in mining for minerals.
That said, the Shit 6mq, its current flagship phone, is no slouch in terms of repairability. In fact, Shift leads the pack when it comes to offering features that are close to today’s flagship standards. Unfortunately, the brand serves a very specific market only, limiting the reach of what could otherwise be the top sustainable phone today.
Nokia G42 5G
The old Nokia was notorious for its innumerable handsets but also popular for their durability and longevity. That’s a distinction that the modern caretakers of the Nokia brand seem to be keen on regaining as well. HMD Global just launched its second repairable phone, the Nokia G42 5G, proving that its commitment to sustainability wasn’t just a one-time fluke.
Compared to the previous three, the Nokia G42 5G easily disguises itself as a “normal” mid-range phone with a stylish design that stands out in a good way. That aesthetic, however, belies how relatively easy it is to open up and repair, at least compared to its peers. Its process isn’t as effortless as the Fairphone, mind, but it’s the closest you’ll get to an easy-to-repair phone from a well-known brand.
Realme GT 2 Pro Paper Edition
So far, the sustainable phones we’ve seen on this list might be branded as looking a bit drab or even cheap, except perhaps for the aforementioned new Nokia model. On the one hand, it’s understandable that manufacturers are more focused on making the design more durable, more modular, and easier to repair rather than fussing over their looks. On the other hand, it means there’s still plenty of room for improvement in this space. In the meantime, there are other ways to make smartphones more sustainable without going all out, and Realme showed us how with its special “Paper Edition” GT2 Pro in early 2022.
The two most notable things about this premium flagship are its unique appearance, designed to mimic both the look as well as the feel of paper. In fact, the material used for that cover is a sustainable bio-based polymer, which is the Realme GT2 Pro’s second special feat. It was sadly a one-time designer edition, but it did demonstrate what was possible in this area once the right pieces and creative minds are in place.
Samsung Galaxy S23
Samsung has the biggest number of smartphones in the market, potentially making it the worst offender in polluting our planet with e-waste. Fortunately, it has become more aware of its effect on and responsibility to the environment, and it has thankfully been taking important steps to improve that. Small steps they may be, but they all add up in the long run. The Galaxy S23 series, for example, isn’t just Samsung’s latest and greatest, it also happens to be the poster child for its sustainability initiatives.
Samsung has been talking a lot about how it has started to use recycled ocean plastics for a growing number of parts for its smartphones. This year, in particular, also saw an increase in the use of recycled aluminum and glass on the phone itself, as well as recycled paper for the packaging. Although it’s easy to scoff at how small these steps are, it’s important to also consider that it is Samsung making them, which is pretty much a free advertisement for sustainable phones in general.
Apple iPhone 14
Unsurprisingly, Apple also makes the list, and not just because it started the trend of excluding chargers from the phone box. Just like Samsung, the famed company has been making baby steps in using more sustainable materials and practices in making its phones. The iPhone 14 uses more recycled materials and fewer conflict minerals. It might even be its most repairable iPhone yet. Apple has also been very good at keeping its products updated for years, delaying their obsolescence and demise in landfills.
Apple’s biggest contribution to sustainability is the fact that it’s taking up the cause as well. As a role model for many other companies, its adoption of sustainable practices, including the right to repair its phones on your own, helps encourage other companies to do likewise. Other companies are often accused of copying Apple, but this is one aspect we certainly hope they copied more.
Sony Xperia
It might come as an even bigger shock that Sony is on the list (after the shock of learning that it’s still making smartphones). Although it has dialed down its production and sales, the brand continues to put out smartphones that admittedly challenge the status quo, either in their designs, their screens, or their cameras. Given its low presence, it’s also easy to take for granted how it’s also been taking steps to reduce its negative impact on the environment in its own small way.
In addition to the now-expected reduction of plastics and the use of recycled paper in packaging, Sony has also been increasing the use of recycled materials in its Xperia phones. It has even created its own “Sustainable Oriented Recycled Plastic” or SORPLAS that adds flame-retardant properties to recycled plastic, a must-have for consumer electronics like phones.
Nothing Phone (1)
As a phone that’s supposed to turn the market on its head through more transparent design and business practices, there is definitely a need for Nothing to do something in taking bigger steps toward sustainability. That said, Nothing is also a small and young company, so it won’t be fair to judge it by the same measure as larger and older companies. Fortunately, it doesn’t disappoint.
It uses 100% recycled aluminum for its frame and 50% of its plastics are made either from bio-based or post-consumer recycled plastics. For its packaging, it uses soybean-based ink and recycled fiber, throwing out plastic from the box completely. It’s pretty much setting up a challenge to the rest of the industry: if Nothing can do it, everyone should be able to as well.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Although it has been making the Android mobile platform for years, Google is a relatively new player in actually making phones. Of course, that means that it should have all the data and knowledge from its hardware partners on how to steer the ship right from the get-go. Although there’s no helping the carbon emissions of its massive data centers, the tech giant is at least going in the right direction when it comes to making sure its phones do minimal damage to the planet.
The latest titleholder, the Pixel 7 Pro, makes generous use of 100% recycled aluminum, while accessory cases for the Pixel phones contain as much as 70% recycled plastic. Beyond just the materials, Google is banking on its long-term software support for the Pixel phones to keep them longer in people’s hands. Its sustainability strategy also extends to its supply chains, investing in safer working conditions and similar efforts. With all the resources under its fingers, it will be more shocking if Google didn’t do its due diligence in keeping the planet green.
There’s a reason why plastic is so widely used despite all the campaigns against its negative impact on the environment. They’re cheap to make, somewhat durable, and quite long-lasting. That last part is, of course, the problem with this material, especially when they end up in our waters. The ideal solution would be the completely get rid of the use of plastic, but that is neither realistic nor feasible in the short run. In addition to reducing our reliance on this harmful material, we also have the ability to repurpose plastic these days and use them in ways they weren’t initially designed for. They can, for example, become the foundations of other products, like these pendant lamps that take those ocean-bound wastes and transforms them into beautiful pieces for your home.
We always hear the exhortation to reuse or recycle plastic, but, truth be told, there is only so much you can do with used products, at least without changing them drastically. It admittedly takes a lot more energy to actually break down plastic into new usable material, but it also offers more flexibility in what can be made, especially with today’s 3D printing technologies. These lamps, for example, use 100% recycled polypropylene plastic that has been turned into pellets that are then fed to 3D printing machines.
That process is the simplified version, however, because different kinds of plastic result in different properties. Nearshore plastic like fishing nets, trawls, and ropes, for example, result in a greenish color that gives the Seagrass pendant lamps their verdant hues. The creamy tones of the Sea Foam set, on the other hand, are the result of using ocean-bound plastic bags and water bottles without additive coloring.
The Ocean Coil pendant lamp collection isn’t just about upcycling plastic, however. There is also clear craftsmanship involved, especially in how the lamps look like hand-spun pottery. You definitely wouldn’t have guessed they were practically made from trash because of their elegant appearance, which is precisely the point. The lamps prove that there doesn’t have to be any significant difference between products made from virgin plastic and those spun from recycled ones.
Of course, the process of turning recycled plastic into stunning products isn’t an easy one, at least not yet. There is definitely plenty of room for improvement, especially in minimizing the energy and water requirements when turning plastic into usable pellets. There’s also research to be done on how to better handle this relatively new material, but as the Ocean Coil pendant lamp collection proves, it’s definitely worth all the time and effort in making this journey.
