Marine plastic pollution, but make it trendy beach furniture. That’s what one Rotterdam-based studio called The New Raw has been up to in the last few months.
You know what they say: don’t bring sand to the beach.
But it’s 2022, and I think we can agree that ‘don’t bring plastic to the beach’ is far more relevant as we deal with the ever-growing problem of plastic pollution.
A design studio based in Rotterdam is already living by that mantra, creating The Elements, a limited-edition beach furniture collection made from upcycled marine plastic waste.
Recognising that we should be removing rather than bringing more plastic to the seaside, The New Raw sources plastic fished from the ocean and turns it into beachwear that is both functional and beautiful.
Each of the items in The New Raw’s eco-friendly collection – a changing room, footpath, and a sun lounger – have been made with 80 percent recycled marine plastics and can be transformed into new designs at the end of its lifecycle.
The range comes in two colours, Aqua and Sand, which blend perfectly with hues naturally found in seaside landscapes. The wavy, textured material is owed to robotic 3D printing technology and offers a soft seat and ‘climate comfort’ for its users.
Tiny gaps in the structure welcome natural air ventilation, provide sunlight control, and help with water drainage and offering shade. Which as an experienced beach-goer, I can say is everything you’d want from a day spent by the sea.
The collection was originally designed for a project with Coca-Cola in Greece and has now been placed across six of the European nation’s most famous beach spots in areas such as Crete, Rhodes, and Kefalonia.
Speaking to designwanted, the founders of The New Raw, Panos Sakkas and Foteini Setaki have acknowledged that 3D printing has come under scrutiny for creating a substantial amount of waste during prototyping stages.
At The New Raw, this has been thought of ahead of time. By using materials that are 100 percent circular, any scraps that aren’t used for a final product can be shredded to print something new.
The company has begun taking materials from offcuts, misprints, and example products found in their studio to produce a new, limited-edition collection of chairs. The first of the designs made from scrap pieces is called Ermis.
Based on its gradient colour of soft beige and blue, it’s possible that the Ermis chair was created from the prototypes and misprints of The Elements collection. The New Raw says this demonstrates their goal of creating an ‘infinite loop of plastic waste,’ that can be used again and again.
Credit: The New Raw
These indoor and outdoor furniture pieces are a minimalists dream, with an aesthetic that wouldn’t be misplaced in an editorial shoot for Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar.
When it comes to printing with plastics, the possibilities are endless, says The New Raw. Its robotic printer is capable of making other useful items like bike racks, tree pots, food bowls for pets, and bookcases.
It’s exciting to see how recycling plastics for 3D printed has begun entering all sectors of the design industry. Remember the bFRIENDS desk organisers we covered earlier this year? I’m still dreaming of those.
Even more designs incorporating this method are sure to be on the horizon. With 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic already in our oceans and 8 million tons being added to that figure each year, the innovation of sustainable designers like the team at The New Raw is something worth watching.
We may not stamp out virgin plastic production until 2040 – but if we can transform these materials on a large scale into stylish furniture and functional office gear, we just might have found a positive solution to turning our current plastic crisis around.
I’m Jessica (She/Her). Originally from Bermuda, I moved to London to get a Master’s degree in Media & Communications and now write for Thred to spread the word about positive social change, specifically ocean health and marine conservation. You can also find me dipping my toes into other subjects like pop culture, health, wellness, style, and beauty. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
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