Land, ocean, and air – all are plagued with the non-biodegradable material that is plastic. Ocean waters have been suffering for decades at the hands of plastic waste, as species are literally dying on plastic pollution. To get over this predicament, many people have found ways to recycle plastic removed from the oceans. Innovative designers are even creating furniture from ocean plastic to help protect the environment from plastic’s adverse effects.
The designers of Studio Swine are creating furniture out of ocean plastic. Concerned over the problem of plastic pollution, Alexander Groves and Azusa Murakami began with picking plastic waste using fishing nets in East Sussex. Now, the designer duo collects plastic from seas and beaches to create modern furniture with it.
Originally a degree project in the university, it became much more significant and important for the designers. They collect plastic, melt it down in a portable furnace, and mold it to the shape of various furniture pieces.
Studio Swine had used the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform to fund decks on the research ship Sea Dragon, which sails from the Azores to the Canary Islands through the ‘North Atlantic garbage patch’ which accumulates millions of plastic pieces together.
Sea Chair by Studio Swine | Image: Studio Swine
The work of designers is largely displayed in museums as they do not mass produce the chairs. The aim behind this project is to raise awareness regarding plastic pollution, through the visual effects of the creations.
Another manufacturer, Denmark-based Mater also recycles the ocean plastic into furniture. Ocean garden chair and table are famous among the lot. Designed in 1955, the original Ocean Chair was made from plywood and steel. Dennie Ditzel, the daughter of the designer duo who created the original furniture piece, licensed Ocean Chair to Mater in 2018.
Ocean Chair by Mater | Image: Mater
The new iteration of the Ocean Chair is made of recycled plastic from discarded fishing nets and ropes, which otherwise would end up in landfills and oceans.
With rising concerns over the plastic pollution and its severe effects on the planet, several other brands, such as Plastix, Bureo and Patagonia, have also been experimenting with innovative methods to reuse plastic waste by recycling it into an item of use. As it is a difficult matter to decompose, recycling plastic is certainly a potent solution to get rid of its menace.
Via: Unilad