Friday, October 19, 2012

ECO/SUSTAINABILITY SPECIAL...Going Dutch in Design


ECO/SUSTAINABILITY:  Going Dutch in Design 

A Dutch designer’s unique Palmleather products are fast catching up for not just their sustainable design, but also supporting the local social economy


    I design products, but hardly ever do so. Most of my time is spent in experimenting with materials and production techniques, sometimes intuitively, sometimes as a passionate amateur scientist. The leaf of the Indian Areca Betel Nut Palm was one of those materials I experimented on, amazed by how Mother Nature had arranged and aligned its fibres so perfectly. I softened the fallen dry, brittle leaves and noticed they transformed to a soft flexible material that resembled leather. This observation resulted in the creation of a ‘new’ material called Palmleather, which can be a sustainable replacement for leather, plastic and rubber. But curiously enough, Palmleather originated not in India, but a design studio in northern Netherlands. Our biggest project at this moment is taking shape in Karnataka. Together with the Indus Tree Crafts Foundation, we are setting up a new value chain around Palmleather in a socially responsible way. Working with skilled artisans, we are bringing together science, design and craft to create products that are empathic, hopefully insightful, circular and pragmatic. Here is a glimpse of what we have done so far:


Shopping Bags
The Palmleather has developed further in the last year and we have been able to upgrade its technical properties. Working closely with artisans in Gadag in Karnataka, we have perfected our skills and are now able to produce bags that are traditionally made from animal leather, plastic or rubber. For now, these are going to be on exhibition at Palace Oranienbaum in Germany during a Dutch Design Exhibition, but will soon be available in the market.


Book Covers
Palmleather book covers are one of my favourites because they are such a charming alternative to leather-back journals, the world famous journal made of animal leather. We are now producing this in partnership with a company in the Netherlands and it is available only in limited edition. Also, these journals have an amazing 1,200 pages to pen your thoughts. Currently still a prototype, but won’t be for long.


Flip-Flops
Toe flip-flops for retail con sumers are the next prototype we are developing. As these must have a longer lifecycle, we are using biological adhesives and other material such as cotton and silks to make them longer lasting.


Resort Sandals
Our first and most important product is the resort sandal — a cheap, fully biodegradable throwaway product that is meant to replace the white polyester/ rubber sandal you often get in your hotel, health spa, flight or cruise. These ugly plastic sandals are most often thrown out after just an hour’s use. This senseless waste motivated me to design this simple, fully compostable product.


    EXPERT VIEW
Tjeerd Veenhoven
IS A DUTCH PRODUCT WHO IS WORKING IN INDIA
ET121013

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