Two years ago at the Milan Furniture Fair, the word on everyone’s lips was bioplastic. From Rossana Orlandi’s RO Plastic Design Prize and architect Arthur Mamou-Man’s bioplastic installation for Swedish fashion brand Cos, to Kartell’s release of their second furniture collection, the innovation of plant-based materials remains one of the most exciting new areas in material development.
Kartell’s first dip into new material waters was the Bio chair by Antonio Citterio in 2017. The chance to work on the evolution of materials and biodegradable products was described by the designer as "an extraordinary step from the research perspective.” Two years later, the iconic Componibili storage unit first designed by Anna Castelli Ferrieri in 1969 would be reimagined in bioplastic in response to the world’s growing demand for material innovation to address the growing urgency for a circular economy and dramatically cut carbon emissions and waste.
The launch of one of Kartell’s most famous and successful designs in bioplastic highlights the importance of this research for the brand as well as the design industry's broader focus on material recyclability. The historic Componibili which has been part of the Kartell catalogue for 50 years was the result of a collaboration between Kartell's research department and the Italian industrial company Bio-on.
“We have worked with Bio-on to be able to offer a very high-quality bioplastic product and we have chosen to do it on one of our historic products, one of the most recognised in the world", remarked Kartell's CEO, Claudio Luti, at its launch. "Research on bioplastics fits with our quest for innovation and is part of the 'Kartell loves the planet' project aimed at enhancing good sustainability practices”.
“For a designer, to work on the evolution of materials and above all, on biodegradable products over time is an extraordinary step, from the research perspective.”
Antonio Citterio
“We have worked with Bio-on to be able to offer a very high-quality bioplastic product and we have chosen to do it on one of our historic products, one of the most recognised in the world. Research on bioplastics fits with our quest for innovation and is part of the “Kartell loves the planet” project aimed at enhancing good sustainability practices.”
Claudio Luti, CEO, Kartell
Further emphasising the group's push for an innovative environmental focus within its research department, during Kartell's 70th anniversary celebrations the exhibition 'The Art Side of Kartell', featured the narrative between art and design, research, innovation, and revolutionary processes that charted Kartell’s domestic objects from the early days of post-WWII design, through to its contemporary pieces using material innovations including bioplastic.
Highlighting the initiatives of a growing group of international design companies, the launch of the Componibili in bioplastic is focused on the need for the furniture industry to rethink materials from a closed loop, cradle-to-cradle approach. Like the Swedish fashion brand COS, these steps are opening up conversations around a “new futuristic language" of renewable materials that are fast becoming the most interesting innovation leap for both furniture and the built environment.
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