where climate action meets the future of design

Tag: biomaterials

Laura Clèries

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With 25 years of international experience, Laura combines expertise in materials science, cultural anthropology, and design futures.

She has worked across academia (NYU, UToronto, IED, Elisava), industry, and think tanks (PantoneView, WGSN), holding roles as a professor, researcher, and design leader.


Laura has curated exhibitions, conferences, and publications, contributing successfully to innovation in the Cultural and Creative Industries. She holds a PhD in Materials Science, is fluent in English, French, Catalan, and Spanish, and has received numerous awards for her work. Her research focuses on content curation, innovation strategies, and color, material, and finish (CMF) design.

Squeeze the orange

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Orange peels are a food waste residue abundant in the Mediterranean diet, and we can give them another life: many things are possible with what we consider “waste” today.

Squeeze the Orange is a research project on the reuse of orange peel to make biodegradable and compostable materials for the fashion industry.

Through the work and knowledge shared between makers and designers, they investigated orange waste to design a material that all fashion designers can use. The project was developed in collaboration with restaurants in the Poblenou neighbourhood in Barcelona. Its purpose is to manufacture a completely biodegradable or compostable waterproof bioplastic using dehydrated orange peel to produce clothing and accessories for the fashion industry.


Ressaca

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Ressaca is an immersive installation that takes the viewer into a dystopian world where humanity’s only remaining natural resources are its own waste and dross. Broken and sharp glass is the main construction element of what we intuit to be an eccentric room that sparkles with danger. Vila pushes to the limit a set of semi-utilitarian furniture that threatens and provokes, invites and prohibits in equal parts, an exercise in speculative design that reflects on the future of society.

Founder and Head Designer of Aparentment, Josep Vila Capdevila (1976) is a multidisciplinary designer that has been linked to fashion, advertising, photo-journalism and even music. In 2012, he launched his first collection of objects, Marblelous, which had an impact nationally and internationally. Since then, he has followed a design path towards experimentation and innovation working with noble, robust and lasting materials.

matapalo

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matapalo, by Unlable Design Studio, is a brand from Algiers that markets biophilic pots and installations made of flexible and innovative composite fabrics that stand out for their design, lightness, durability and recyclability.

The product was presented during Underground BDW, a new collective and immersive exhibition during the Barcelona Design Week 2024.

MOMENTS Sidetable

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MOMENTS Sidetable by studio re.d is dedicated to the recycling of leftover panels, such as cutouts from stoves and sinks, that are left over from the production of ceramic kitchen worktops. The design emphasizes the value of the remaining panels as a central element of the side table

In order to save work steps, the processing of the remaining panels is implemented into existing production processes. The ceramic plates are connected to sheet steel elements using screws, which means that the furniture can be easily dismantled at the end of its usage cycle and returned to the circular economy. 

AWARDS: 

BIG SEE Product Design Award 2024 

Nominated for the Green Product Design Award 2024

Reef Rocket

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ReefCycle has developed biologically-grown cement-like material that mimics the chemical structure of reefs, re-growing vital material in days that take millennia to form in nature. The production process combines plant-based enzymes with crushed waste, like culinary shells and glass, to grow a mineral glue that binds waste material together.

Reef Rocket is a bio-cement structure that mimics the naturally occurring oyster reefs that protect shorelines from flooding, filter seawater and promote biodiversity. Nature has the unique capacity to grow durable material without polluting its surrounding environment. Reefs grow to withstand extreme wave energy and corrosive water for hundreds of years.

Harnessing nature to repurpose discard into durable “cements” locally without burning fossil fuels, this process fosters a bio-circular and localised economy. Reef Rocket by ReefCycle provides a cheaper, cleaner and more durable alternative to industrial cement.

Refugio Bees

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Building on Refugio Bees’ work done over the last few years, Apidae proposes a system of objects for raising Meliponini bees. This system consists of breeding boxes, which function as ‘houses’ for the hives, as well as a kit to fabricate potes and piqueras.

Apidae is a project that seeks to improve our relationship with nature, specifically with a group of bees known as Meliponini. This species is known for producing phenomenal honey and being the main pollinators of many native foods in Mexico, as well as being essential for the conservation of the biodiversity of the ecosystems they inhabit.

The potes and piqueras are part of the natural structures that bees build using wax. The potes’ function is to store honey and pollen, while the piqueras help to manage the access that other species have to the hive. The wooden breeding boxes are designed to have a life-cycle of at least twenty years. The potes and piqueras are designed so that the bee-keepers can create potes and piqueras directly from wax produced by mature hives, aiding young hive development.

Mujō

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Mujō’s products are made from a renewable resource: kelp, a fast-growing seaweed that doesn’t require additional water or agricultural land.

Kelp produces oxygen 20 times faster than trees and purifies ocean water, making it an environmentally sustainable choice. The cultivation potential for kelp is vast, about the size of the Amazon rainforest, making the product scalable.

Mujō’s focus is not only on the technology but also on the unique, novel material design and creating an exciting packaging experience for both B2B and B2C customers. Building a circular ecosystem of all stakeholders involved is key, from the producers and consumers to the decomposer.

Mujō is a Berlin-based biomaterial innovation company that develops innovative, seaweed-based packaging materials that biodegrade straight after use. It’s mission is to make a significant contribution to reducing plastic pollution by providing a sustainable and circular alternative to traditional packaging materials. Follow Mujō lab!