Basque designer Jean Louis Iratzoki has developed the first chair made out of bioplastic, called ‘Kuskoa Bi’, for French furniture company Alki. Its particularly enveloping shell, cut out in such a way as to optimize back and arm support, is delicately placed on a solid wood trestle.
Bioplastic is a polymer with similar characteristics and properties to plastics made from non-renewable fossil fuels. It can be injected, extruded and thermoformed but it is made from 100% plant-based renewable resources.
This biobased polymer is fully recyclable and its organic properties mean that, when subjected to an industrial process, it is biodegradable. Moreover, another significant environmental aspect lies in its reduced carbon footprint as bioplastic production results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
The use of bioplastic is currently being researched in a number of different industrial sectors, including the automotive industry.
all images courtesy of ALKI