Zero Waste Lab Plastic Initiative

Recycling is, of course, a fantastic thing - though by Circular Economy principles, the re-use of any object is the less-energy intensive preference - and wanting to highlight a particular project in particular, SATORI & SCOUT have selected Holland's The New Raw as having a set up which is really quite something fantastic. Targeting the humble city of Thessaloniki (Greece), it's residents are now able to see their recycled plastic turned into 3D-printed furniture. Titled 'The Zero Waste Lab', such a scheme has been created in collaboration with Coca Cola and hopes to really revolutionise the way we convert old plastic into meaningful products.

All manufactured in a facility that operates a robotic arm which has itself been 3D-printed, end-consumers are able to customise their end-product furniture by way of colour, functionality and also, the specific location across the city in which these products would ultimately live. Across the portfolio are a planter, bike rack, animal feeding bowl and bookcase, with many others soon arriving.

Upon creation of the chosen product via the company's website, end-consumers are able to see exactly how much-recycled plastic is required for their creation, and upon having all those 'feel-good' feels, everyone should be able to benefit, particularly the environment. As the designers comment to Dezeen, "...plastic has a design failure. It is designed to last forever, but often we use it once and then throw it away. With Print Your City, we endeavour to show a better way of using plastic in long lasting and high value applications." Continuing, "...more than 2,900 citizens of Thessaloniki voted where and how they wanted to see the new furniture of the city. Thessaloniki is a city with high rates in separating and recycling on a household level in Greece, [and] at the same time, the size of the city makes measurable the environmental footprint of Print Your City." What a fantastic project.

Discover more about the initiative online at: ZeroWasteLab.amsterdam

Photography credit : Zero Waste Lab