Global solutions organisation A Plastic Planet presents Plastic Free, a new digital portal offering a panoramic view on the alternative to plastic for designers and brands looking at sustainable manufacturing alternatives.
The project was led by an Advisory Council that includes Thomas Heatherwick, David Chipperfield, Tom Dixon, Shaway Yeh and MIT’s Skylar Tibbits. Conceived as an online design tool, Plastic Free features in-depth reports on over 100 alternatives to virgin plastic, as well as insights on systemic changes within the design world. Additionally, 125 case studies offer practical examples of these materials in action.
Plastic Free: a design tool for the future
Imagined as a practical tool, Plastic Free is not merely a material library, but a destination for creatives to discover how these materials can be applied to their work. It showcases different approaches to materials such as bamboo, glass and aluminium, as well as newer alternatives to plastic such as James Cropper’s Colourform moulded paper pulp and Agraloop’s biofibre made of agricultural waste. Multidisciplinary in its mission, the initiative looks at material alternatives for product, furniture, packaging and fashion design.
The portal is designed by London-based creative studio Made Thought. 'We don’t think plastic can be siloed to a production problem, a recycling problem or a waste problem,' comments the studio founding partner Ben Parker. 'Everything in our man-made world starts with design, so design has to be the trojan horse for change—and creativity must be the most needed skill-set of our time to change products, change behaviours and change systems, allowing us to rebalance our relationship with the natural world.'
‘Everything begins with a creative process. There is significant power held by the 160 million global creatives to help us rethink how we take, make and waste, to reimagine different systems and material uses in a very different way from today,’ says Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet. ‘Our default dependence on incredible but toxic and indestructible plastic has to end. Designers want to be part of the solution but there is a minefield of misinformation out there. If we can ignite and empower creatives by giving them trusted, relevant data and inspiring case studies, we believe we can change everything much faster.’
An annual subscription fee of £250 will allow creatives access to the full portal, as well as access to exclusive events and networking initiatives.
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