Designing out Waste

Reusing industrial waste in furniture production

A collaborative research project by František Dorko and Martin Sombathy is focused on discovering ways of creating more sustainable products for homes and offices. The authors of the research believe that designers should prioritize circularity right from the beginning of the design process.

The team researched and approached local manufacturers in Slovakia, focusing on those that have residual materials from their production process which often get discarded.

Once the partner companies were scounted and material has been selected, the design process began by searching for the best material application.

Industrial partners of the project – SK-Tex and Mitsubishi Chemical Group – provided samples of recycled textiles and residual SymaLITE® boards which were combined in various techniques and shapes to explore the possible use of industrial waste in local furniture production.

The material samples are focused on keeping product decay in mind by respecting the principles of repairability and separability of the materials.

The samples were partially made on equipment funded by Nadácia Tatra banky.