Chair from Recycled Household Plastics
Furniture designer, Thomas Pedersen, and Houe production partners developed the idea of using recycled household plastic as a way to produce more sustainable furniture, and to reduce the amount of waste being produced.
A reminder for all of us, that sorting your trash can make a real difference!
What’s wrong with plastic?
The great challenge with plastic is that so much of it is only ever used once. Most of our plastic ends up in the wrong places, putting a heavy load on the environment and the planet’s wildlife.
The FALK chair is a beautiful example of how plastic can be a unique resource that can be used multiple times - it is produced from recycled plastic that has been sorted correctly.
Contrary to other chairs made from recycled plastic, HOUE chose to use recycled household plastic in the production of FALK, rather than for example ocean plastics. There are many advantages to this process.
Firstly, household plastic already exists in relatively controlled quantities. The trash from households also makes for a valuable source when recycled - rather than being the increasing problem that it is today. Moreover, it is vital that we focus on collecting and reusing the plastic at an early point in the value chain, to avoid it ending up in the ocean.
Can plastic be sustainable?
New plastic (also known as virgin plastic) can never be sustainable, but in theory, recycled plastic can - depending on whether or not you consider the original extraction of raw material and processing.
Sustainability also depends on how the plastic is produced, what it is used for, and whether or not it is recycled. Plastic is a very durable material, and it is relatively easy to re-use.
If handled “correctly”, plastic fits very well with the principles of a circular economy: A chair made of plastic can be used for many years, and move on to be recycled into new products.