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02/26/2020

Spanish companies give recycled plastics a new life in their designs

PET lamps designed by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón. Photo: courtesy of Acdo.

PET lamps designed by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón. Photo: courtesy of Acdo.

 PET lamps designed by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón. Photo: courtesy of Acdo.

PET lamps designed by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón. Photo: courtesy of Acdo.

 HOOK lamp designed by OiKo Design Office for Faro Barcelona. Photo: courtesy of Faro Barcelona.

HOOK lamp designed by OiKo Design Office for Faro Barcelona. Photo: courtesy of Faro Barcelona.

 IBIZA seating collection designed by Eugeni Quitllet for Vondom. Photo: courtesy of Vondom.

IBIZA seating collection designed by Eugeni Quitllet for Vondom. Photo: courtesy of Vondom.

 DIVA furniture collection by SP Berner. Photo: courtesy of Berner.

DIVA furniture collection by SP Berner. Photo: courtesy of Berner.

MUSSELBLOMMA textile collection designed by Inma Bermúdez for Ikea. Photo: courtesy of Inma Bermúdez.

MUSSELBLOMMA textile collection designed by Inma Bermúdez for Ikea. Photo: courtesy of Inma Bermúdez.

 DIAMOND rug collection designed by Charlotte Lancelot for Gan. Photo: courtesy of Gan.

DIAMOND rug collection designed by Charlotte Lancelot for Gan. Photo: courtesy of Gan.

 ERGO bench by Directe CB. Photo: courtesy of Directe CB.

ERGO bench by Directe CB. Photo: courtesy of Directe CB.

Shopping baskets and trolleys by Araven. Photo: courtesy of Araven.

Shopping baskets and trolleys by Araven. Photo: courtesy of Araven.
PET lamps designed by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón. Photo: courtesy of Acdo.

PET lamps designed by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón. Photo: courtesy of Acdo.

PET lamps designed by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón. Photo: courtesy of Acdo.

PET lamps designed by Álvaro Catalán de Ocón. Photo: courtesy of Acdo.

HOOK lamp designed by OiKo Design Office for Faro Barcelona. Photo: courtesy of Faro Barcelona.

HOOK lamp designed by OiKo Design Office for Faro Barcelona. Photo: courtesy of Faro Barcelona.

IBIZA seating collection designed by Eugeni Quitllet for Vondom. Photo: courtesy of Vondom.

IBIZA seating collection designed by Eugeni Quitllet for Vondom. Photo: courtesy of Vondom.

DIVA furniture collection by SP Berner. Photo: courtesy of Berner.

DIVA furniture collection by SP Berner. Photo: courtesy of Berner.

MUSSELBLOMMA textile collection designed by Inma Bermúdez for Ikea. Photo: courtesy of Inma Bermúdez.

MUSSELBLOMMA textile collection designed by Inma Bermúdez for Ikea. Photo: courtesy of Inma Bermúdez.

DIAMOND rug collection designed by Charlotte Lancelot for Gan. Photo: courtesy of Gan.

DIAMOND rug collection designed by Charlotte Lancelot for Gan. Photo: courtesy of Gan.

ERGO bench by Directe CB. Photo: courtesy of Directe CB.

ERGO bench by Directe CB. Photo: courtesy of Directe CB.

Shopping baskets and trolleys by Araven. Photo: courtesy of Araven.

Shopping baskets and trolleys by Araven. Photo: courtesy of Araven.

 

 

In October 2018 on the tourist island of Bali, more than 25 organizations signed a global pledge to tackle the sources and end the creation of plastic waste and plastic pollution on our planet. Among the main objectives of the pledge was increasing the amount of plastic which is re-used and converted into new products.

This issue is very much on the minds of Spanish designers and interior decor brands, who have launched products and designs which reuse bottles and other plastic waste to give it a second life.

We'll begin this tour of the circular economy with Álvaro Catalán de Ocón, a designer who brought together sustainability and social commitment in one of his best-known designs, the PET lamp.  The project, launched between 2011 and 2012 and still going strong today, is focused on the reuse of PET plastic bottles, which are transformed from containers for liquids into ceiling lamps. The cap is transformed into a piece which connects the electrical components to the shade, while the neck creates the structure and body of the lamp. Indigenous artisans and communities from Colombia, Chile, Thailand, Japan and Australia have participated in the creation of the hand-woven shades, using indigenous textile materials and traditional techniques. 

Again in the lighting sector, the OiKo Design Office designed the HOOK portable lamp for the company Faro Barcelona, a light which is made in Spain from recycled bottle caps. Its body is made from recycled polypropylene, a sustainable plastic which is also used in the diffuser to promote recycling. This lamp has won prestigious international awards such as the 2019 German Design Award, and the 2018 Red Dot Design and Green Product Awards. This year the Spanish studio is working on another lamp made with recycled plastic.

In the world of furniture, Eugeni Quitllet created the IBIZA collection for the company Vondom. This collection of chairs re-uses plastic objects and bottles gathered from the sea surrounding the Balearic Islands. For their part, the company SP Berner created the DIVA collection, which is also made from marine and agricultural plastic which they recycle in their production facilities.

In the world of textiles, Inma Bermúdez designed the MUSSELBLOMMA collection, reusing recycled plastics from the Mediterranean, and the company Gan recently presented the DIAMOND collection of rugs, created by Charlotte Lancelot and made from 100% recycled PET plastics.

In this report you will also find more products made from recycled plastic, such as the ERGO bench by Directe CB or the OCEANIC recycled shopping baskets and trolleys by Araven. All these initiatives constitute the long-term commitment on the part of Spanish firms and designers to making the world a more sustainable place.

 

Diary

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