Global solutions organisation A Plastic Planet presents Plastic Free, a new digital portal offering a panoramic view on the alternative to plastic for designers and brands looking at sustainable manufacturing alternatives.
The project was led by an Advisory Council that includes Thomas Heatherwick, David Chipperfield, Tom Dixon, Shaway Yeh and MIT’s Skylar Tibbits. Conceived as an online design tool, Plastic Free features in-depth reports on over 100 alternatives to virgin plastic, as well as insights on systemic changes within the design world. Additionally, 125 case studies offer practical examples of these materials in action.
Plastic Free: a design tool for the future
Imagined as a practical tool, Plastic Free is not merely a material library, but a destination for creatives to discover how these materials can be applied to their work. It showcases different approaches to materials such as bamboo, glass and aluminium, as well as newer alternatives to plastic such as James Cropper’s Colourform moulded paper pulp and Agraloop’s biofibre made of agricultural waste. Multidisciplinary in its mission, the initiative looks at material alternatives for product, furniture, packaging and fashion design.
The portal is designed by London-based creative studio Made Thought. 'We don’t think plastic can be siloed to a production problem, a recycling problem or a waste problem,' comments the studio founding partner Ben Parker. 'Everything in our man-made world starts with design, so design has to be the trojan horse for change—and creativity must be the most needed skill-set of our time to change products, change behaviours and change systems, allowing us to rebalance our relationship with the natural world.'
‘Everything begins with a creative process. There is significant power held by the 160 million global creatives to help us rethink how we take, make and waste, to reimagine different systems and material uses in a very different way from today,’ says Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet. ‘Our default dependence on incredible but toxic and indestructible plastic has to end. Designers want to be part of the solution but there is a minefield of misinformation out there. If we can ignite and empower creatives by giving them trusted, relevant data and inspiring case studies, we believe we can change everything much faster.’
An annual subscription fee of £250 will allow creatives access to the full portal, as well as access to exclusive events and networking initiatives.
-
Discover The Legacy, Hong Kong’s eye-catching new condoThe Legacy, by ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, is a striking new condo tower that aims to ‘create a sense of community and solidarity among people’
-
In BDSM biker romance ‘Pillion’, clothes become a medium for ‘fantasy and fetishism’Costume designer Grace Snell breaks down the leather-heavy wardrobe for the Alexander Skarsgård-starring Pillion, which traces a dom/sub relationship between a shy parking attendant and a biker
-
Tour Aflalo’s first retail space, a gallery-like studio in New YorkLight-filled and elegant, Aflalo has opened its first retail space in a classic Soho loft, reimagined by Nordic Knots Studio
-
Bees can now check in at Kew’s new pollinator hotelAt Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden, artist Kristina Pulejkova unveils four functional sculptures that tell the hidden story of seeds and act as a refuge for bees during the heat of summer
-
We feel a growing passion for MycoWorks, the company inspiring beauty with fungal-based biomaterialReishi is a Wallpaper* Design Award winner, a new self-growing, biodegradable material by MycoWorks presented in a series of exquisite expressions of earthy and ethereal furniture, lighting and artworks
-
This new all-natural sofa is made with cork leftover from the production of wine stoppersIsomi’s ‘Tejo’ sofa is constructed entirely of natural materials and features a modular, experimental design
-
New Mater tables by Patricia Urquiola are made from recycled coffee beansThe Alder collection of tables by Patricia Urquiola for Mater make their debut at Milan Design Week 2024, and are made of a specially-developed material made from recycled coffee beans
-
Shellmet: the helmet made from waste scallop shellsShellmet is a new helmet design by TBWA\Hakuhodo’s creative team and Osaka-based Koushi Chemical Industry Co, made using Hokkaido’s discarded scallop shells
-
Wentz presents innovative furniture incorporating ocean plastic wasteThe ‘Mar’ collection by Guilherme Wentz is informed by the sea and features computerised 3D-weaving techniques to transform ocean-borne plastic
-
Liaigre ‘Upcrafted’ objects showcase potential of sustainable designStriding confidently towards more sustainable production, interior design company Liaigre has released ‘Upcrafted’, a series of limited-edition objects for the home, assembled attentively from the studio’s would-be waste
-
Regenerative design: meet the creatives taking a rooting interest in learning from natureRegenerative design: meet the creatives taking a rooting interest in learning from nature
