Today’s Solutions: February 18, 2025

In 2019, the world generated 54 million metric tons of e-waste — a worrying number that’s expected to increase to 64 million metric tons by 2030. London-based designer Tom Robinson wants to help curb that amount by turning e-waste into sleek, minimalist furniture.

The designer’s latest project involved using 100 percent recycled plastic from e-waste to produce the Evolve Chair, which aims to give plastic a more natural feel and thus encourage more people to opt for items made of recycled materials.

To make the chair, Robinson partnered with Netherlands-based The Good Plastics Company, which creates recycled plastic sheets from e-waste, such as discarded laptops and computers.

The chair’s ebony color comes from the black plastic of the electronics, which is crushed and granulated before being transformed into plastic panels. “This new reprocessed panel resembles something closer to a porous wood or stone, rather than something artificial,” said Robinson.

“Plastic by its very nature is considered industrial, machine-made and artificial – it feels quite fitting and important to show ‘recycled’ plastics as something that can appear more natural, crafted and synonymous with the interior landscapes of today,” he added.

The resulting chair has a minimalist, modular design with softly rounded corners that seems to resemble the shape of laptops, computers, and keyboards. Robinson envisioned the product as a scalable, adaptable piece of furniture, and designed it to be flat packed to reduce its transportation footprint. It is the first edition in a series planned to change the perception of waste materials.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

Female Invest secures $23 million to close the financial gender gap

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Women have long been underrepresented in finance and investing, but three Danish entrepreneurs are on a mission to ...

Read More

How a short nap can supercharge your problem-solving skills

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM We all know that a good night’s sleep is essential for focus, memory, and overall well-being. However new ...

Read More

Got old electronics? Here’s how to dispose of them properly

Do you have a digital camera? Do you still use it, or does it sit quietly in a desk drawer, out of a job ...

Read More

2022’s most optimistic climate stories

These days, it’s easy to sink into feelings of climate anxiety and eco-grief. However, this past year brought us a number of good climate ...

Read More