Decorating Your Home With Sustainable Plastic
For some time now, we’ve been telling you about the global need to live a more natural lifestyle and to avoid materials that damage the environment. However, technology is also evolving, providing us with new, more eco-friendly options. So, today, we want to tell you how to decorate your home with sustainable plastic.
What is sustainable plastic?
When people first began using and abusing plastic on an industrial scale, we condemned the planet to a future with a material that’s difficult to recycle, and even more difficult to destroy. You may have already read our article on ways to reduce plastic waste at home.
But despite all this, plastic does open up a whole world of practical and low-cost possibilities, especially when it comes to decorating. For a plastic to be considered sustainable, it must be made from a base of polyethylene terephthalate, better known as PET. This material can be used to make a whole range of items, from water bottles to furniture.
Examples of sustainable plastic
The Eames Plastic Chair
You’ve almost certainly seen these chairs in homes and restaurants. The Eames chair is an iconic piece and has become increasingly popular over the last few years.
It first appeared back in 1950, when manufacturers first began producing plastic chairs on an industrial scale. Today, they are made by Vitra, who use polypropylene. Its creators, Charles and Ray Eames, were looking to “get the best to the greatest number of people for the least”.
The immortal Louis Ghost chair
We can’t talk about sustainable plastic without telling you about Philippe Starck’s immortal Louis Ghost chair. First created in 1992, this attractive design became an instant icon. Original and versatile, water and damage resistant, it works perfectly with both classic and modern homes.
Made from clear or colored polycarbonate, the Louis Ghost chair is a really practical option. You can even stack them, reducing the amount of storage space required.
New chairs on the market
People no longer want items they just use once and throw away. Under the name ecoBirdy, designers Vanessa Yuan and Joris van Driel have released a range of sustainable furniture, where absolutely everything has been made from recycled plastic.
Their range of children’s furniture is really fun and teaches us that you should always try to reuse materials before simply throwing them in the trash. Take a look at their page ecoBirdy here.
Giving plastics a second life
Instead of allowing the plastic we throw out to end up in our oceans, we can recycle it again and again. This is the idea behind IKEA’s new MUSSELBLOMMA collection, which will be available in stores next year. Take a look at the 2020 IKEA catalog here.
This collection was produced in collaboration with Seaqual, an ocean clean-up initiative uniting fishermen, organizations, communities and even the authorities. Spanish designer Inma Bermúdez has also joined the initiative, creating a range of ocean-inspired tablecloths, cushion covers, and bags.
Plus, for every 2 lbs of PET plastic used to make the fabrics, the initiative removes roughly 20 lbs of plastic from the ocean.
Sustainable plastic
There are a number of other brands that use plastics that are easier to recycle, or who make new materials from recycled plastics. But you can also use your own imagination to give old objects a second life.
For better or for worse, plastic is a non-perishable material. This makes it highly resistant, and perfect for exteriors. However, it also makes it one of the biggest threats to our planet. So, we want to encourage you to become more conscious consumers, and to always make sure to give plastic a second life.