A collection of furniture showcasing life beyond marine plastic waste

In response to the alarming reality of plastic waste, BlueCycle in collaboration with The New Raw introduced In the company of Animals at EDIT Napoli 2023 – a sustainable one-of-a-kind collection of multi-purpose furniture from stools to side tables embodying animals and humans.

At first, seamlessly transforming discarded plastic with digital craftsmanship – The New Raw is a Rotterdam-based research and design studio founded by architects Panos Sakkas and Foteini Setaki with the innate ambition to breathe in new life to discarded materials through design, robots and craftsmanship. 

“We develop our own (digital) craftsmanship techniques through a formal and technical language that highlights the texture and the layer-by-layer character of its in-house robotic manufacturing process. The exploration of the possibilities that the robotic techniques provide transform plastic waste into beautiful and meaningful products that are 100% circular!” explains The New Raw. 

BlueCycle, on the other hand is a blue and circular economy social enterprise which aims to reuse marine plastic waste generated from shipping and fishing activities. 

Their goal is to create new, high-quality materials suitable for re-integration into the industry and to explore as well as promote a holistic approach to the sea waste problem.

“Our vision is to create a new life cycle for plastic fishing and shipping gear. We rely on current research, technologies, innovation and creativity and we propose sustainable solutions to the marine plastic waste problem. We adopt modern practices and operate with a view to protect the marine environment!” BlueCycle shares. 

Effortlessly blending strong environmental impact with eclectic design – they’re a comprehensive social enterprise.

Focusing on the recycling and upcycling of marine plastic waste generated mainly from fishing and shipping activities, through a holistic and circular approach, they propose a sustainable solution utilizing high-end technology, research and creativity.

Additionally, they deal with all stages of production right from material sourcing and processing to the design and distribution of the final products.

Ensuring the traceability of the material – a key element to the process – they’ve established an expanding collection network with more than 30 points all over Greece. With its own means, they collect discarded equipment from fishermen, aquacultures, mussel farms, manufacturers of plastic fishing and marine equipment as well as material from ude

nderwater and coastal clean-ups, performed by collaborating NGOs and institutions.

With more than 550 tonnes of marine plastic waste collected, they further go on to process and recycle the waste and this leads to zero waste production.

“Our BlueCycle Lab is the heart of BlueCycle where innovation, creativity and sustainability is our driving force. All of our furniture and objects bear the visual and sustainable stamp of the company!” concludes BlueCycle.