As highlighted in a previous post, every year, more than 380 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide, and what's even more scary is that 91% of the world's plastic is not recycled.
Thin-film plastic makes up 46% of the approximately 11 million metric tons of plastic that leaks into our oceans every year. This figure is expected to nearly triple to 29 million metric tons by 2040.
Fashion and the food industry play a role in these numbers: single-use resealable sandwich storage bags and plastic polybags used by the fashion industry - bags that are almost impossible to recycle and that end up in landfills, on the ground and in our oceans - represent over 300 billion thin-film plastic bags disposed of annually.
But there are designers and researchers trying to experiment with alternative solutions, such as Natural Material Studio. The Copenhagen-based design, research and consultancy practice founded in 2018 by material and interaction designer Bonnie Hvillum, focuses its work on the principles of circular design – reuse, recycle, renew and rethink.
Hvillum is interested in exploring the possibilities offered by material limitations and the properties and qualities of often discarded or under-utilised natural resources to create novel design solutions.
Science, biology, chemistry, design and art are combined in the studio's researches and experimental materials, such as "Alger", a biodegradable and natural fabric material based on seaweed extract and softener, or "Pinel", a flexible leather made from pine needles.
An unused natural source of fibre, this material can be worked like leather or it can be sanded, polished and treated like wood (it may therefore have new applications in the fashion industry, but also in the interior designer field). The studio also developed a new type of clay based on leftover Nordic seashells.
Hvillum's latest project is a reusable gift-wrapping concept produced for the Calvin Klein Store in Copenhagen (and available from tomorrow in the brand's store located in Denmark's largest shopping centre - Field's).
Crafted from bio textiles especially handmade for the occasion, the durable pouch is reusable, recyclable and biodegradable.
The pouch consists in a sheet of biomaterial with four simple steel pins and a binding ribbon that can hold a selection of Calvin Klein's products.
The handcrafted biomaterial is based on the studio's technique and process called "Procel". The latter is formulated through a mix of protein bio polymer, natural softener and natural pigments; the result is a texturally rich and visually intriguing surface. Each sheet was cast by hand with unique swirls and bubbles hinting at the fluidity of nature and evoking the principles of the wabi-sabi aesthetics such as simplicity, economy, modesty, transcience and a quirky sense of imperfection.
Natural Material Studio aims to raise concerns with the pouch about the current single use culture, especially during the busy Christmas period. People visiting the Calvin Klein store will get the opportunity to touch the biomaterial thanks to a special wrapping counter covered in sheets of Procel,
In this way Natural Material Studio hopes to give the chance to shoppers looking for Christmas presents to take a moment to ponder about consumption and the possibility of discovering new materials that can help bring nature closer to our daily lives, and to do so while choosing a gift or while exchanging presents at the Christmas table.
"The hope is that our bespoke gift pouch will instigate new conversations around the Christmas table this year; ones centred on how biomaterials can help to reduce over-consumption and promote environmental responsibility," concludes Hvillum.
Image credits for this post
All images in this post courtesy Natural Material Studio. Photo: Peter Vinther.
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