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I see them from a distance. they look like ordinary plastic boxes. As I get closer, I am told that they are made with remaining vegetable oils. These and a series of prototypes of alternative plastic products were unveiled at the recent edition of the 2018 Democratic Design Days at the global headquarters of Ikea, Almhult, Sweden. With the goal of becoming positive for people and the planet by 2030, the furniture retailer's partnership with Californian company Newlight Technologies – known for its greenhouse gas bioconversion technology – allows it to now to make plastic products from carbon dioxide. ethanol plants. And thanks to its collaboration with the Finnish oil refining company, Neste, Ikea is also perfecting the technique for converting vegetable oil into plastic containing at least 20% renewable materials. Production will begin next month.
Pro-environment
While I'm traveling through Denmark and Sweden in the direction of Almhult, it is hard to miss the attention given to waste management and recycling initiatives in all public spaces: the airport, train stations and bistros. The takeaways are in paper bags, not plastic, and at the Swedish company headquarters, I learn that sustainable development is more than a buzzword. Ikea Hotel and its offices are getting rid of useless frills – disposable plastic bottles, sachets of toiletries, work. By 2020, in their bistros, food waste will also be reduced by 50%.
Less is more
Torbjorn Loof, CEO of Inter Ikea Group, announces the brand's decision to remove all single-use plastic from its product lines Work spaces and cafeterias by 2020 were one of the main points to remember. In an adjacent room, they reveal other changes: sofas made with lighter materials to make sure that they do not take up much space during transport, and plans to fit out old sofas. "We do not always want consumers to buy new products, the idea is to extend their lifespan and to use more renewable resources," says Lena Pripp-Kovac, Director of Sustainable Development at S & P. 39, Ikea
Kungsbacka, one of its kitchen products that will be available soon in the Hyderabad store.door covered with a plastic sheet made of recycled PET bottles.
In the works
The best choices among the prototypes unveiled at the Summit, which will unfold in the next two years:
Palm-sized sunshine: Ikea Partnership with the German company, Little Sun, will soon lead to off-grid solutions for renewable energy.I have an idea of their products as an artist and co-founder, Olafur Elibadon, who shows a system portable solar lighting of the tai It is one of a palm co-founded with the engineer Frederik Ottesen, the company's Little Sun Diamond is a solar lamp with a stand, which can be used as a reading lamp or as a practical tool for hikers of the nature. Four hours of charging in the sun can mean five hours of bright light and several hours of soft light. Little Sun Original, presented at the height of design, is a smaller and more practical lamp that can liven up homes and campsites.
The nozzle we need: Misteln, the water nozzle designed by the Swedish company Altered, with lead-free brbad, promises to reduce the consumption of water. 90% water. The dome can adapt to any standard faucet and it converts the flowing water into droplets of mist that are just enough to wash your hands. While most faucets use about eight liters per minute, Misteln aims to reduce usage to 0.25 liter per minute in fog mode and about 1.5 liter in spray mode.
Bamboo Lamp: Knixhult, a new lamp by Ikea, will be designed with bamboo, as the rapidly renewable resource is growing rapidly and does not require fertilizers, pesticides or methods specialized irrigation. The lamp will also use parts that are normally thrown away, in order to reduce waste.
All that is Natural: Among the new collections unveiled are Tankvard, the collaborative work of designers Nike Karlsson, Iina Vuorivirta and Akanksha Deo, the only Indian in the team of Ikea design. Textiles, in soothing tones of blue and white, use natural fibers such as cotton, linen, seagrbad and jute, while the corresponding light furniture uses rattan. "The idea was to create something natural and breathable," says Deo, based in Delhi. Tankvard will be available worldwide from April 2019.
The writer was in Almhult, Sweden, at the invitation of Ikea for the Days of design 2018.
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