In collaboration with designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, furniture manufacturer Emeco has created a collection of chairs and stools that are made from recycled plastic bottles.
Launched at Milan Design Week 2019, the collection titled On & On is designed to be lightweight, durable, stackable and suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The chairs and stools are comprised of recycled plastic bottles (rPET), non-toxic pigment and glass fibres.
“Barber and Osgerby balance technical expertise, innovative thinking, and poetry,” said Emeco CEO Greg Buchbinder. “Edward and Jay’s idea for ‘On and On’ – a timeless, durable chair with a round seat that stacks up in a circular way – is the perfect fit for our newest engineered version of rPET, a recycled material that can be recycled again.”
“This material that Emeco has developed is redefining the sector a little bit,” said Osgerby. “We’re not in the business of designing pieces for the wow factor, or for a laugh. We want to create beautiful objects that people want to live with forever, and plastic does give you that chance.”
“The chair has been designed to use as little material as possible, making it extremely lightweight,” explained Barber & Osgerby. “The efficient use of plastic ensures lower carbon emissions when shipping, making this chair completely sustainable.”
With the collection available in six colours, there is also a variety of seat materials available. Along with rPET seats, there are upholstered seats and plywood seats in oak or ash. The stools are available as bar height and counter height.
Committed to creating a closed-loop recycling system, Emeco is currently in the process of developing a program where old chairs are returned to be used for material in new chairs.
