Page 174 - CW E-Magazine (1-7-2025)

Special Report Special Report

Communicating the value of sustainability through opportunity: to shift how we defi ne
beauty in plastic and embrace an
colour, materials and fi nishes in plastics aesthetic language where the marks
of manufacturing processes and raw
materials aren’t hidden – but become a
here’s a paradox at the heart of making it a feature of the product story – CHRIS LEFTERI badge of value and honesty.
designing the aesthetics of pro- by ‘product’ I mean anything from
Tducts with sustainable materials. car interiors, appliances, sports goods, But are we missing a big opportunity to When it comes to more high-end
If you replace a less sustainable mate- consumer electronics, etc. do something actually very diff erent? products, where traditional notions of
rial with a more sustainable material Shouldn’t we challenge expectations luxury play a crucial role – the chal-
but do the job so well that the newer, A lot of our work as designers is of what is good and desirable CMF lenge is even greater. There’s often a
more responsible version is visually about replicating our existing knowl- (colour, materials & fi nishes)? strong desire to maintain familiar, high-
indistinguishable from the original, edge of common plastics and processes end aesthetics such as that of metallic
less responsible version, the question but now having to think about it in a We’ve long accepted that materials surfaces, which can make it harder
becomes: where does the sustainability responsible, sustainable way. Instead like wood and metal carry their own to introduce new, visibly sustainable
story go and how do you communicate of electroplating plastics to create natural imperfections – knots in tim- materials.
your wonderful achievement? shiny premium fi nishes, for example, ber, patinas on brass or copper – and
we might use some sort of recycling- we even celebrate them as marks of In addition to looking for sustain- pristine and fl awless, capturing luxury a defi ning element of the car’s inte-
If the bio-based, recycled, low- compatible process instead, where the authenticity, age, and beauty. So why able solutions to established materials in an instant – the outcome of 70+ years rior design, earning the EX30 multiple
carbon or whatever fl avour of environ- end-result is very similar, if not identi- don’t we do the same with injection- and fi nishes like chrome, for example, of designers learning how to use plas- awards, including the prestigious Red
mentally responsible material you’ve cal, to the original way of doing things. moulded plastics? should we be fi nding diff erent sustain- tics, metals and new fi nishes. Perfection Dot ‘Best of the Best’ Award 2024.
used looks like the original plastic, But do we simply want to replicate able processes to denote a new kind of is still the rule of the day. That’s why
it’s diffi cult to communicate the sus- what we have always done (metallised Some pioneering brands are starting luxury? Should sustainability actually virgin plastics and others have such a Similarly, Dacia, in partnership
tainability of it, because the end re- plastics, shiny surfaces) in a more sus- to rewrite the aesthetic of plastic. The be helping consumers shift their under- hold on us; it takes a real mind shift to with LyondellBasell, has introduced
sult looks exactly the same. Visually, tainable way? Or do we actually want Microsoft Xbox Remix Special Edition standing of luxury, rather than just move away from the steady supply of speckled plastic components across its
there’s no diff erence. The paradox at to do things diff erently, capturing the Controller is a perfect example. Made replicate their current one? predictable, high-quality and optimized vehicle interiors, using post-consumer
the core of what we as designers do is: imaginations of consumers and getting from post-consumer recycled plastics, virgin materials that we have become recycled content. These fi nishes bring
in our quest to be sustainable, the sus- them excited about a new way of doing its surface shows subtle swirls, fl ow Some forward-thinking brands are so used to. a sustainability-driven aesthetic to
tainability story itself often vanishes. things? From a strictly environmental lines, and colour variations – visible already showing how this shift can hap- cars, making the material’s recycled
Or does it? It’s an important question point of view, progressive aesthetics are traces of the recycled content. Instead pen. Panasonic, for example, developed One of the big trends in sustainable origin visibly clear – a deliberate shift
to ask because so much importance is less of a concern so long as everything of covering these “defects,” Microsoft Nagori – a plastic material made from materials over the last few years has away from the industry’s long-standing
placed on the environmental angle and is achieved in a more responsible way. chose to manifest them, making each minerals leftover from the water purifi - been speckled aesthetic. Whether from pursuit of fl awless, uniform surfaces.
controller visibly unique. cation process. Its layered, precious natural fi bres or inorganic fi ller waste,
stone-like aesthetic off ers a unique, re- these eff ects push material storytelling Interestingly, many consumers
The Steelcase Perch stool takes this fi ned look that can easily compete with in a better direction. Not only do they appear open to this shift. There’s grow-
idea further. Produced from hard-to- the most luxurious conventional mate- celebrate the recycled or bio-based ori- ing enthusiasm for products that visibly
recycle e-waste plastics, its fi nish is full rials used for accents and details. gin of the material, but they also create signal a move away from polluting,
of colour inconsistencies and ghosting one-off , unrepeatable aesthetics, giving resource-intensive production. But
lines caused by the irregular melting Similarly, unidirectional polypro- each product a unique fi ngerprint tied the real resistance often comes from
behaviour of recycled material. Rather pylene (PP) fi bres, commonly used to its sustainability story. within – from decision makers con-
than trying to improve the quality of the in structural composites, bring a new cerned about not having enough appeal
recycled plastic, Steelcase embraced visual language to nonmaterial plastics. Several brands, including key players to mass market or from quality con-
the imperfect surface – and went even Their linear texture introduces a dis- in the automotive industry, have trol teams who struggle with the lack
further by donating the most “messy- tinctive, high-end aesthetic that could started to embrace this new aesthetic of clear, measurable standards against
looking” stools, produced during co- be embraced as a modern marker of at scale, working closely with material which to assess these new, inherently
lour transitions, to social innovation luxury – one rooted in material innova- suppliers to develop innovative recycled variable materials.
partners. They framed these unpredict- tion and 100% recyclability. grades that make sustainability visible.
able aesthetics as a refl ection of real- A notable example is the Volvo EX30, What else is there beyond speck-
world complexity and change. The trouble is: mainstream materi- which features speckled door panels ling, marbling and degraded surfaces?
als such as plastics are still so desirable. and upholstery from recycled materials.
These examples point to a new They’re manufactured to be spotless, These distinctive textures have become One way forward is to bring main-

174 Chemical Weekly July 1, 2025 Chemical Weekly July 1, 2025 175

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