December 17, 2020
Divert By Design: 14 Products Made With Recycled Content
Manufacturers are starting to normalize products with recycled content at a higher rate than ever, in their quest to reduce carbon emissions and curb waste.
Designed by Geof Lilge, Scott Laughton, and Sam Petterson, this wide array of durable bent-steel chairs, tables, and stools is 100 percent recyclable. Available in ten styles, each of which can be specified in 20 powder-coated finishes.
DIVISION TWELVE division12.com Courtesy Division Twelve
It’s no secret that building materials contribute mightily to American landfills. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, of a total 267.8 million tons of solid waste in 2017 (the latest year for which data is available), 57.1 million tons, or 21.4 percent of that waste, consisted of durable goods, including such items as chairs, tables, and carpets. The good news is that a significant chunk of this category was diverted from dumps through recycling to the tune of 10.8 million tons in 2017, compared with 10.6 million tons in 2016, and roughly 6.6 million in 2000.
The number of manufacturers now touting their products’ recycled content and recyclability suggests reuse on the factory floor could become the rule rather than the exception. Consider Division Twelve’s tables and seating, for example, made with 100 percent recyclable steel frames, FSC-certified oak work surfaces and seats, and optional bio-based foam chair cushions. The line of seating, tables, and benches checks several boxes on designers’ lists of sustainability needs. In addition to this colorful collection, we came across many other instances in which companies are going beyond recycling ingredients and reining in production waste to promote these ecofriendly strategies as key design features.
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