Organic ‘food’ bank
Time and time again, we hear the word ‘sustainability’ and its synonyms.
Going greener is everyone’s top priority. The ultimate goal is cradle-to-cradle. For the seating industry, this is a practically impossible mission. But Joe Platt has risen to the challenge. Mission accomplished. Once it’s reached the end of its life, the sofa stimulates soil life. The raw materials used go back in the ground. The circle is complete.
Can you make a sofa without using environmentally damaging raw materials? Yes, even using environmentally restorative materials! Joe Platt proves this with the RETURN sofa — fashioned from cork, sheep’s wool and wood. These raw materials are 100% natural AND biodegradable.
The sheep’s wool has been saved from destruction. It is too crazy for words, but this is what is happening. Sheep’s wool yields so little profit that it is even a cost for breeders. The idyllic image of sheep in a meadow is an illusion; they are there for the meat. Now we have the RETURN sofa. This values their wool as the sustainable alternative for the filling and upholstery of the cushions.
The cork is harvested by hand (debarking the tree) and dried in the open air. You can’t get more natural than that, right? You can shape the plastic material with pressure and heat. The sofa element is put together in an entirely modular way, without a supporting structure. This explains its strong construction: a trial-and-error hands-on design process. The fact that cork is lightweight fits perfectly with the modular concept. The RETURN works fully in accordance with the plug-in system: think of a base plate for separate building blocks, in this case legs, back and armrests. The square basic element (93 x 93 cm) sets the stage for creative freedom. You can expand it with separate sofa parts and link it to other modules. Two-seater, corner sofa, lounge armchair, accompanying table. The lightweight elements are easy to handle and (dis)assemble. Parts can simply be replaced or reordered. Cork is naturally resilient, water-repellent, sound and heat insulating. All valuable qualities for contemporary home furnishings.
At the end of its life, RETURN gives the materials used back to nature, back to where they came from. Sheep’s wool and cork are a great mulching material. You can also cut up cork and mix it into the soil. It aerates the soil and improves water retention. The raw materials used feed and improve the soil. RETURN goes back to its roots.
So just one challenge remains: how to upscale and market RETURN.
Photos: Katoo Peeters
