2022 Retrospective: Embassy of Rethinking Plastic
How can we look at and use plastic, the world’s most maligned material, differently? That’s the question the Embassy of Rethinking Plastic started asking three years ago. Plastic is cheap and we easily discard it. With dire consequences. Over the past three years, the Embassy has shown that things can be done differently.
This year, during Dutch Design Week (DDW22), there was a clear shift. While three years ago it was mainly recycled plastic designs that were on display, this year we discovered how many biobased materials and designs also provide a glimpse of what the future holds.
Working with bacteria
The fact that we have to use plastic differently is now well understood, says curator Leonne Cuppen. “The main thing now is to show how things can really be done differently. Not only without plastic, but also working in harmony with nature. As humans, we are not at the top of the pyramid; we are part of the whole natural system.”
Two years ago, recycling and upcycling were the main focus, says Cuppen. “Recycling is now one of the four themes in the exhibition. It is about more than that whole mountain of waste that we have to do something with. The future should see plastic substitutes being introduced. And to achieve this, we need to collaborate with, for example, bacteria and organisms.”
Read the curator interview with Leonne Cuppen here
Just like the other years, Yksi Expo was the stage for the Rethinking Plastic exhibition during DDW. You could find all kinds of designs there, from naturally dyed bio-textiles to 3D-printed furniture based on residues from drinking water production and sewage treatment.
Bio-based
Various designers showed how bio-based materials are a good substitute for the usual plastic. Such as high-quality textiles made from specific intestinal tissue of a cow. A result of the design research project ‘Gold’ of WINT Design Lab in Berlin. The agency designed water-resistant jackets with the material.
Or the transformation of a dairy farm into a closed material flow. Studio Thomas Vailly investigates how wheat and milk by-products – cellulose, starch, lignin, casein and whey – can serve as raw materials for biocomposites. These new materials can be digested by cows and pigs or composted on site.
Sustainable packaging
A lot is also possible in the world of packaging. Packadore, a collective of chain partners in the packaging industry, develops sustainable, attractive packaging for a wide range of target groups in order to generate social and commercial impact. The collective is also the initiator of INCL. Here, designers, technologists, occupational therapists and 3D-printing specialists jointly develop packaging that makes the lives of people with disabilities easier.
They investigate how packaging innovations provide smart solutions for people with a physical disability. Cuppen: “It is great to see that designers are increasingly collaborating with institutes or, for example, with a chemical company. Those collaborations are quite broad. Together you arrive at a radically different approach to products.” During the exhibition, Packadore displayed, among other things, packaging for people who are dyslexic or low literate and packaging with a focus on sustainability, where less ink is used or material with more embossing. Packadore also organised a conference during DDW, which included Embassy of Circular & Biobased Building curator Lucas De Man as keynote speaker.
Bioplastics
Designer Nienke Hoogvliet used three tables to visualise the life cycle of bioplastics made from bacteria that purify wastewater. This high-quality natural polyester is fully biodegradable in soil and compost facilities, as well as in fresh and salt water. The project is a collaboration between the designer and the Energie- & Grondstoffenfabriek (EFGF), which is investigating on behalf of the water boards in the Netherlands how we can extract energy and raw materials from wastewater.
Mussels
A project by Food Design Lab students from Ecole Design Nantes Atlantique in France was on display at the entrance to the exhibition. Together with a French manufacturer, they have developed new edible products from the shells of mussels. They looked at the entire cycle, from growers, via markets to restaurants. They also took into account the ecosystem and life cycle of the shellfish. In doing so, they looked for ways to keep circular applications as local as possible.
Curious about all these projects? Watch the curator tour with Leonne Cuppen here
In addition to an exhibition, there was a Packadore conference with a keynote by Lucas De Man about ‘Transforming with art impact’. This was followed by six PACK talks. As in previous years, all partners had a breakfast session to meet and inspire each other.
The power of inspiration can be experienced every year at the Embassy of Rethinking Plastic. Thanks to the many diverse perspectives offered by new solutions and the interactions about them.— Winie van Oorschot, Packadore
Reshape
Winie van Oorschot, initiator and also the person who started the Packadore collective, on participation in DDW22: “Public curiosity about innovations is nowhere as intense as at DDW.” As a partner of the Embassy, Van Oorschot emphasises that ‘Rethinking Plastic’ is not an end in itself. “Creating alternatives is. In fact, we need to reshape the entire functioning of human beings on earth. The power of inspiration can be experienced every year at the Embassy of Rethinking Plastic. Thanks to the many diverse perspectives offered by new solutions and the interactions about them.”
2022 is the last year of the Embassy of Rethinking Plastic in its current form. It will be explored whether the topic will be taken to a broader theme. Curious about the rest of WDE’s developments? Then sign up for the newsletter, or contact us.