Nataša Perković makes textured furniture from palm oil byproducts

Bosnian designer Nataša Perković recycled the fibrous waste from palm oil factories to create the Reclaimed Oil Palm collection, which was made using as little material as possible. Comprising a 3D-printed, stackable chair, three plates and a pendant lamp, the collection was developed in a bid to turn the byproducts of the palm oil industry from an "environmental nuisance" into a sustainable material. Oil palm is grown for its oil, which is extracted from the plant’s small seeds that are wrapped in fibre and housed inside kernels. A large amount of fibre is leftover from this process, which is mainly burned for energy or left on the ground as fertiliser. "There are much better ways to use this cellulose material," said Perković. "Currently the oil palm industry is, for the main part, an environmental culprit – responsible for deforestation leading to climate change and loss of wildlife," she continued. "It’s unlikely that global consumption of palm oil will drop radically, so the challenge is to make production sustainable." Designed to showcase the material properties of the newly developed oil palm-waste composite, Perković and her team at the Kyoto Design Lab aimed to use a minimal amount of material as […]

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