With more and more designers enjoying the flexibility and durability that plastic provides, it is no longer the symbol of waste and poor quality that it has been in years gone by. Developments in technology have brought more and more green options to the market, meaning that plastic can now be a sustainable choice. Here we highlight 5 designs that are helping us to see plastics in a new light.   

With a surface that combines a smooth plastic finish with a wood grain-effect, the Broom chair by Philippe Starck for American company Emeco is made from 75% waste polypropylene and 15% reclaimed wood fibre.

The exterior shell of Patricia Urquiola’s Husk chair for B&B Italia is made from HIREK® – a plastic made from recycled industrial waste.

Benjamin Hubert’s Pod chair for De Vorm has a steam-bent ash frame and a pressed felt seat made from recycled plastic bottles.

Un Stool by Studio PARCHITECTS features a eco-plastic structure and a detachable sustainable plywood component. The plastic is made from 100% post-consumer & pre-consumer recycled plastic waste such as milk jugs, detergent bottles, plastic bags and flowerpots.

Last year Philippe Starck‘s Miss Sissi lamp for Flos was given a green makeover when it was reproduced in MINERV-PHAâ„¢ - a top-performing, water-biodegradable biopolymer made from the waste of sugar beet and cane production. Produced by Italian company Bio-on, the Miss Sissi lamp was the first design object to be made using the new plastic.