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Lars Beller Fjetland designs “100 per cent recyclable” aluminium bench
CategoriesSustainable News

Lars Beller Fjetland designs “100 per cent recyclable” aluminium bench

By Zarkon Group,

Norwegian designer Lars Beller Fjetland explains how his fully recyclable Bello! bench created for Hydro aims to showcase the possibilities of extruded aluminium in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen.

Designed in collaboration with Shapes by Hydro – a knowledge hub created by aluminium producer Hydro – the bench is made from nearly 90 per cent recycled and 100 per cent recyclable aluminium, according to the designer.

“I wanted to make something that was extremely robust, and for me, aluminium was the answer,” Beller Fjetland told Dezeen. “It has all these amazing properties that make it a super durable material, especially when you introduce it in an anodised finish.”

Bello! bench by Lars Beller Fjetland in the new forest green colour situated in a forest
Beller Fjetland and Hydro have introduced a new forest green colour for the bench

Beller Fjetland and Hydro recently presented the latest colourway of the bench in forest green during the Material Matters Fair during London Design Festival, where Beller Fjetland spoke to Dezeen about the collaboration.

He cited forest landscapes as a source of inspiration when creating the vibrant green seat.

“I was just walking in the forest and contemplating aluminium as a material, and I was thinking about having a light impact or a low footprint in nature,” Beller Fjetland said.

“Green just felt really fitting. It can also be a cliche, in a way, to think about green, but I think for us it really works.”

Close of the ridged finish of the Bello! bench by Lars Beller Fjetland
The bench can be modified to integrate tables, lamps or chargers for use in public places

The bench is characterised by its ridged surface, which Beller Fjetland explained was informed by the shape of penne rigate pasta.

“One of the things we discussed was how can we make the concept of extrusions accessible for as many people as possible,” Beller Fjetland explained in the video.

“That’s where I started to think about the analogy with the pasta, because the manufacturing technique is surprisingly similar.”

The bench is manufactured using a similar extrusion process to how dried pasta shapes are formed. For the Bello! bench, molten metal is poured through a moulded opening to create a ridged surface.

“You’re pushing the material through a die, which creates a form and, visually, it looks like a penne rigate or a rigatoni pasta,” Beller Fjetland explained.

Close up of the ridged finish of the Bello! bench by Lars Beller Fjetland in the new forest green colour
The bench’s texture is informed by the shape of penne rigate pasta

The bench, which was designed for both inside and outdoor use, features a hard-wearing finish making it suitable for high-traffic settings such as public transportation hubs.

“What is interesting with aluminium is that it is a material that has an inherent value in itself, which kind of makes circularity way easier,” Beller Fjetland said. “There’s an incentive there to actually recycle the material, because it has a monetary value.”

“The beautiful thing is that the energy needed to recycle aluminium to make new material is very low. It makes me believe that recycled material doesn’t have to be a compromise,” he continued.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen for Shapes by Hydro as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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Matter designs recyclable plastic-free remembrance poppy
CategoriesSustainable News

Matter designs recyclable plastic-free remembrance poppy

By Zarkon Group,

Design consultancy Matter has redesigned the Royal British Legion remembrance poppy to be created entirely of paper made from coffee cup waste and recycled wood fibres, the first change in the flower’s design for 28 years.

According to Matter, the paper poppy will reduce carbon emissions by 40 per cent compared to the previous design, which had a paper leaf and petals held in place by a plastic stem and black circular centre.

Remembrance day paper poppies by Matter
The remembrance poppy has been redesigned to be made entirely from paper

Matter’s redesign aims to remain true to the original recognisable poppy but replaces all plastic elements with paper. The entire poppy can be recycled at home via household recycling collections.

It has been designed to be produced on a high-speed assembly line without the need for adhesives, with crease details on the paper’s surface that help to give the poppy a 3D shape.

The plastic-free poppy can be fastened by a pin or inserted into button holes and aims to encourage more people to support this year’s Poppy Appeal, an annual charity campaign organised by the Royal British Legion that raises money for veterans and their families experiencing injury, hardship or bereavement.

Red and green bespoke paper for the remembrance poppy
The paper was made from recycled materials

It will be available alongside remaining stocks of the previous poppy in the lead-up to Remembrance Day on 11 November.

“We didn’t want to simply reduce single-use plastic but to eliminate it completely, and we didn’t want to replace plastic parts with expensive and complicated bio-based plastics,” said Matter director John Macdonald.

“Paper offered a single-material solution that could be easily recycled, as well as offering a bold, elegant approach for the next generation of poppies.”

Matter created the poppy in collaboration with paper manufacturer James Cropper, which has made the paper for remembrance poppies since 1978.

James Cropper developed two bespoke papers for the new design, Poppy Green and Poppy Red, made from a combination of 50 per cent recycled fibres from the production of coffee cups and 50 per cent from recycled wood fibre.

Dismantled paper poppies on a desk
The plastic-free poppy will be available for this year’s Poppy Appeal

“We’re proud to have designed a plastic-free poppy that will enable people to show their support for our Armed Forces community in a more sustainable way,” said Gary Ryan, executive director at The Royal British Legion.

“Matter has played a fundamental role in reducing the environmental impact of the new poppy whilst maintaining the iconic poppy design that the public can wear with pride.”

Earlier this year, former Apple designer Jony Ive revealed his redesign of the Red Nose Day nose for UK charity Comic Relief, which saw the iconic clown-style nose reimagined as a foldable paper sphere. In Australia, start-up Hoopsy has created a pregnancy test made from 99 per cent paper.

The photography is courtesy of Matter.

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Fully recyclable, custom 3D-printed footwear
CategoriesSustainable News

Fully recyclable, custom 3D-printed footwear

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: According to Vivobarefoot, a staggering 22 billion pairs of shoes go to landfill every year. Working to make the shoe industry more sustainable is Zellerfeld, with shoes that are “printed, not made.”  

Customers use an app to scan their feet, and the scan is then used to 3D print their chosen style of shoe. Made from washable, breathable mesh, the shoes use no glue and have no seams, eliminating the many weak points at which traditional designs generally break. Because the shoes use no rubber, leather, or textiles, they are 100 per cent recyclable. They are also made from recycled materials that are turned into thermoplastics. By not adding any toxins to the material, the entire production process is made much safer and healthier than typical manufacturing.  

There are currently 15 models available, ranging from the more formal uniform style to high-tops, mules, and several other intricately detailed shapes. The company also offers an array of colours. Customers are encouraged to return their old pairs to the company for a fully circular product lifecycle. As well as recycling the old pair, shoppers can choose to upgrade to the latest version of the style, much the same way we periodically trade in our used smartphones for the newest model.  

The company is currently working to increase production from eight printers to 200, before expanding into a North American factory capable of producing 5,000 pairs a day. It currently takes 40 hours to produce a pair of shoes, something the team is working on reducing so a file can be transformed into product almost immediately with next day shipping.  

From baby shoes that dissolve in water to insoles that prevent workplace injuries, Springwise has spotted many ways that shoe tech is evolving.

Written By: Keely Khoury

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Recyclable turbines for onshore wind energy
CategoriesSustainable News

Recyclable turbines for onshore wind energy

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), wind energy generation hit a record 273 terawatt-hours in 2021. And the IEA further forecasts that, in order to meet the agency’s net zero by 2050 scenario, the world will need to install 7,900 terrawatt-hours of wind electricity generation by 2030.

As wind power grows in importance, the need to consider the whole lifecycle of a wind turbine is more important than ever. While wind power is a clean and renewable form of energy, the turbines themselves are not without an environmental cost. And one of the most intractable issues to date has been the fact that turbines are made using composite materials that are difficult to recycle. Against this backdrop, the Siemens Gamesa RecyclableBlade, launched in September 2021 and first installed at a project in Germany in July, is a step in the right direction.

The blade is made of a composite material that can be recycled and reused, reducing the need for new materials. In addition, the blade is designed to be dismantled and transported back to the factory for recycling, making it easier to recycle than traditional blades. With its innovative recyclable solutions, Siemens Gamesa is helping to propel the activities that make wind energy even more sustainable, creating a fully circular sector.

Turbine blades are made from composite materials, including resin, glass and carbon fibers. The recycling process for these materials is complex and costly. However, Siemens’ new RecyclableBlade process uses a mild acidic solution to separate the materials at the end of the turbine’s lifetime. Those materials can then be recycled for use in other industrial applications. This could help to reduce the environmental impact of wind energy production and make the turbines more economically viable in the long run.

The innovation is part of Siemens’ larger sustainability vision, which includes a core target to produce fully recyclable wind turbines by 2040. After the run at RWE’s Kaskasi project in Germany last July 2022, the new RecyclableBlade is now available for customers to use at their onshore wind sites.

As wind turbines become more prevalent and their disposal becomes more pressing, Springwise is seeing a rise in methods for recycling wind turbine blades. These include wind turbine bioplastic that can be recycled into gummy bears, a recyclable composite innovation turning turbine blades into snowsports equipment, and the UK’s first turbine blade recycling project.

Written By: Katrina Lane

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Covid-19 test concept by Morrama is recyclable and biodegradable
CategoriesSustainable News

Covid-19 test concept by Morrama is recyclable and biodegradable

By Zarkon Group,

Design agency Morrama has devised a concept for a Covid-19 test that is biodegradable and fully recyclable, right down to its packaging – potentially eliminating a common source of plastic waste.

The ECO-FLO test – which is, for the time being, a concept design only – would be the first in the world to be 100 per cent recyclable and biodegradable, according to Morrama.

The design agency devised the solution to cut down on the amount of single-use plastic generated by the pandemic. While both face masks and Covid-19 tests are at least partially recyclable, it is only through specialised facilities and not through residential collection, so must users have been advised to place them in the waste bin.

A rendering of Morrama's biodegradable Covid-19 test concept beside a photo of the NHS Covid-19 lateral flow test
The ECO-FLO test has fewer parts than today’s lateral flow test (left)

“At Morrama, we were inspired to create a test kit that doesn’t contribute to the amount of plastic ending up in our landfills, so ECO-FLO was born,” said the agency’s founder and creative director Jo Barnard.

Morrama’s proposal achieves this goal by making the test itself from moulded paper pulp, and its outer packaging from biodegradable NatureFlex film, which would both break down in approximately four to six weeks.

The other plastic elements – the swab, test tubes and their associated packaging – are all eliminated, as the agency rethought every step of the testing process to minimise materials and maximise ease of use.

Rendering of the Eco-Flo pulp paper covid-19 test next to its biodegradable film sachet packaging
The test would be made from paper pulp and the sachet from biodegradable film

Instead of the two mainstream test types on the market, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid antigen (lateral flow), ECO-FLO applies a new method called the Parallel Amplified Saliva rapid POint-of-caRe Test (PASPORT).

It works with only a saliva sample, so there is no need for buffer solution or a nasal swab – an element that can be difficult to use for those with disabilities or impairments, or when testing children.

The user would only need to spit on ECO-FLO’s absorbent pad, close the test package and push the moulded button to transfer the sample from the absorbent pad to the test strip.

Rendering of Eco-flo tests showing every surface printed with instructions
All of the instructions are printed directly on the test

All of the instructions are printed directly on the test so there is no need for additional leaflets, and it is made more readable by replacing the currently used scientific notations – such as “C” for “control” and “T” for test – with simple checkboxes. In Morrama’s conceptualisation, the packaging is the product.

“Thinking about the test as less of a product and more a piece of functional packaging really influenced the direction,” Barnard told Dezeen.

“Packaging by its nature should always be designed for end-of-life, so we started not with a design, but with materials that can be recycled and recaptured.”

While the need for Covid-19 tests may be in decline, Barnard says the ECO-FLO design remains relevant for countries still undertaking mass testing, such as China, which is disposing of over a million kits a day.

It would also assist groups with accessibility requirements, such as the young, old and those with mental health or learning difficulties.

Collage of a person's hands holding the Eco-Flo test marked positive for "result valid" and "covid detected"
Results in simple English make the test easier to read

However, Morrama is also positioning ECO-FLO as a provocation for the world to start thinking about sustainable design for future pandemics now.

“Whilst much of the Western world has moved on from mass testing of Covid-19, there has been regular warnings from experts that pandemics are only set to become more likely,” said Barnard.

“With the failures from our response to Covid still fresh in our mind, we need to act now to ensure we are better prepared in the future.”

Gif showing how to push the button on the Eco-flo concept design to activate the Covid-19 test
The moulded paper design includes a push button to activate the test

For the concept to become a reality, PASPORT would need to be approved for use in at-home test; currently, it is still in trials. Cost should not be a barrier, as Morrama expects the required paper injection moulding or dry moulded fibre processing to be cost-competitive with plastic injection moulding at volume.

In the more immediate future, another British company, SureScreen Diagnostics, has announced it will start making a biodegradable Covid-19 test cartridge from plant-based materials, eliminating one source of plastic from the kits.

Morrama was founded in 2015. The agency’s past projects include the minimal Angle razor, also aimed at reducing plastic waste, and a series of “smarter phone” concepts aimed at improving wellbeing.

Dezeen is on WeChat!

Click here to read the Chinese version of this article on Dezeen’s official WeChat account, where we publish daily architecture and design news and projects in Simplified Chinese.

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A bio-based electric toothbrush is compostable and recyclable 
CategoriesSustainable News

A bio-based electric toothbrush is compostable and recyclable 

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: The second largest contributor to plastic pollution after plastic bags, plastic toothbrushes are almost all non-recyclable because of the number of tiny parts they contain. Bamboo brushes have become a common replacement, yet for those who love electric toothbrushes, what can they use instead? UK company SURI has the answer. The name stands for Sustainable Rituals, and the brand’s first product is the Sustainable Sonic Toothbrush. 

A mix of recyclable and compostable components, plus a modular design, gives SURI’s electric toothbrush an extensive life. Replacement brush heads come in packs of three, and the company provides a compostable return mailer with each order for users to send back used brush heads in for recycling.

Most current toothbrushes use nylon bristles, a material that contributes to the inability of waste management facilities to recycle them. SURI, on the other hand, uses castor oil for the bristles and corn starch for the brush head. The handle is easy-to-recycle aluminum. Available accessories include a UVC light self-cleaning and charging travel case, a magnetic mirror mount, and a paper washbag. Most components are recyclable or compostable, and the company provides instructions on its website for deconstructing products if a user is unable to ship them back for recycling.

Toothpaste tubes are also part of the personal hygiene pollution problem, and Springwise has spotted innovations seeking to change this through refillable toothpaste dispensers as well as toothpaste tablets.  

Written By: Keely Khoury

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Suri unveils modular electric toothbrush with recyclable brush head
CategoriesSustainable News

Suri unveils modular electric toothbrush with recyclable brush head

By Zarkon Group,

London-based toothbrush company Suri has created Sustainable Sonic Toothbrush, an electric toothbrush with an aluminium body and brush heads made from plant-based materials that can be recycled after use.

Suri founders Mark Rushmore and Gyve Safavi designed the Sustainable Sonic Toothbrush after learning that nearly every plastic toothbrush ever owned still exists in the world. They believe it could replace plastic toothbrushes – four million of which they say are disposed of each year around the world.

A hand throwing a black electric toothbrush in the air
Suri has released an electric toothbrush that has a recyclable head

“Over the last few decades, electric brushes haven’t meaningfully changed; only novelty features, such as Bluetooth-enabled apps, have emerged on the market under the guise of innovation,” Rushmore told Dezeen.

“While most are bulky composites of plastic that can’t be recycled because they’re welded shut, it’s no surprise that every year over four billion brushes – including electric ones – are thrown away and end up either in landfill or in our oceans,” he added.

“We wanted to create a brush that champions design, performance and sustainability without compromise.”

A Suri toothbrush on a sink
The bristles are made from corn starch and castor oil

The Sustainable Sonic Toothbrush heads, which come with medium to soft bristles are made from corn starch and castor oil.

Traditional toothbrushes usually have bristles made from nylon, which end up as landfill waste or marine waste for decades.

By contrast, Suri claims that they are 100 per cent recyclable. Users can send their used brush heads back to the brand in the post in compostable paper bags provided by the company.

A toothbrush in a bathroom
The toothbrush body is made from aluminium

By using a pre-paid compostable return service, Suri hopes to make the process of changing heads as easy as possible and discourage its customers from switching back to disposable brushes out of convenience.

The company recommends changing the brush head every three to four months as you would traditional electronic toothbrush heads.

A green toothbrush being splashed with water
It comes in three muted colours

Alternatively, the brush heads can be recycled at home by removing the bristles and disposing of them in a home waste bin where the brand says they will eventually break down in a couple of years.

According to the toothbrush manual, the metal clips that connect the bristles to the head and the inner core of the head can also be recycled at home in the same way as aluminium foil. The remaining cornstarch shell can be sent to a local industrial composter.

Meanwhile, the aluminium body can be sent back to Suri to be repaired or have its rechargeable Li-ion batteries replaced once they run out. The batteries are designed to last for up to 30 days without being charged.

“Once a customer’s battery dies, they can send back the brush to us to replace the battery or complete any other repairs, if necessary,” Safavi explained.

“Whilst we’re refurbishing the brush, we will send that customer a replacement brush so they can still brush their teeth.”

Two hands holding a black toothbrush
Users can send the body back to the company to be repaired

Despite Suri’s sustainability claims, the brand sources the materials and manufactures its toothbrushes in China. As a result, the product’s carbon footprint is much larger than it would be if the product was manufactured locally.

“All components are sourced in China but we found that we could reduce our scope three emissions by not shipping parts to the region to assemble and then ship on once again,” Rushmore said.

“We are looking to make production more local, but this was the most optimal way to launch with sustainability in mind.”

Cutting down on virgin plastic in toiletries is one way that designers are trying to make their products more sustainable.

New York toiletries company By Humankind created refillable deodorants and dehydrated mouthwash that come in paper pods made of biodegradable paper while design studio Visibility developed a re-fillable container for plant-based deodorant brand Myro that uses 50 per cent less plastic than a regular disposable toiletry.

Suri’s Sonic Toothbrush has been shortlisted in the product design category of the Dezeen Awards. Other products shortlisted for design awards include Tenuto 2, a wearable vibrator by MysteryVibe that is designed for those who experience erectile dysfunction.

Images are courtesy of Suri.

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