EMEA
Performance Polymers
Re-Crafting Plastics
Creating value from scrap! For our fabriktag 2022, we asked four renowned design studios to join us in re-crafting plastic waste. The task was to create upcycled design objects from BASF’s own industrial plastic waste. The idea behind the project: While plastic waste has become a global challenge, plastic itself is a valuable and durable material, which can serve a multitude of purposes.
The BASF Creation Centers in Ludwigshafen, Yokohama, Shanghai, and Mumbai each selected a design studio from their country and asked them to create sculptural design objects that combine BASF upcycling materials with local heritage crafts in imaginative ways. The results of this project will first be presented at our fabriktag at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, on July 7, 2022.
As a preview, here is a brief introduction of the designers and design studios we cooperated with:
BASF Germany – Creation Center Ludwigshafen
featuring jüngerkühn
jüngerkühn is a young, Berlin-based studio, which has already won multiple design awards. Verena Kühn and Konrad Jünger both studied at the Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin. In addition to industrial design jüngerkühn explore the potential of digital production methods while also developing innovative production processes. The cooperation of jüngerkühn and BASF started with the German Design Graduate Award 2020, where Konrad Jünger’s diploma thesis "material driven; digitally produced" won him a ticket for a materials workshop at BASF’s Creation Center in Ludwigshafen. For their contribution to the Sustainability Project, jüngerkühn got their inspiration from the tradition earthenware and the traditional “Bembel”.
BASF Japan – Creation Center Yokohama
featuring Seki Design Lab.
Seki Design Lab. was founded in 2008 by Hiroshi and Mayumi Seki. The Tokyo-based studio employs tools and everyday items from countries all over the world to demonstrate the peculiarities of materials while using them in innovative ways. For the Sustainability Project, Seki Design Lab. combined upcycled plastic waste from the parts testing lab with Urushi, the traditional Japanese lacquer technique.
BASF India – Creation Center Mumbai
featuring AKFD Studio
Ayush Kasliwal is one of India’s leading designers and founder of AKFD and Creative Director of AnanTaya, an interdisciplinary design company based in Jaipur. He is celebrated for his passion towards environment and sustainability-led designs. His contribution to Re-Crafting Plastics combines childhood memories with a minimalistic design approach.
BASF China – Creation Center Shanghai
featuring Chen Min Office
Chen Min Office was founded in 2012 in Hangzhou, China, by industrial designer Min Chen. In addition to industrial design, interior design and brand design, the office is also dedicated to research, survey & creative direction. Min Chen has been working with international brands like Bic, LOEWE, IKEA, Starbucks or SWAROVSKI. In his early years, he began studying Chinese calligraphy and has never lost his interest in traditional Chinese arts and craft. His contribution to the Sustainability Project was inspired by Chinese traditional craft bodiless lacquerware.
Four Creation Centers, four primary materials, four individual approaches. The participating designers were asked to transform industrial plastic waste into design objects that referenced local arts and craft and paid tribute to the cultural heritage of their respective countries. Here is a brief introduction into the different primary materials the designers worked with:
Loading ...
FreeflexTM is BASF’s 100% solvent free thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fiber, widely used in various industries, with excellent performance and good recyclability. The waste fibers in this project come from China’s footwear manufacturing industry and were re-created by local design studio, Chen Min Office.
A mix of several thermoplastic engineering plastics granules (Ultradur® / Ultramid® A / Ultramid® B), found in the waste bins of the BASF processing technologies center, were processed by jüngerkühn. For the first time, the primary material is presented in its original shape, i.e. granules, in the final product!
Various waste materials from production or processing facilities. Test specimens, which are used to test the mechanical properties of a material, were upcycled by the Japanese studio Seki Design Lab. for their project.
Indian industrial designer Ayush Kasliwal used PU foams that were produced for testing purposes in BASF labs.
?dpr=off&fmt=webp&fit=crop%2C1&wid=1280&hei=851 "Andreas_Maegerlein (3).JPG")
With Re-Crafting Plastics, we bring together different worlds and combine aspects which, at first glance, appear to be contradictory: globalization and local traditions; centuries-old craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology; plastic waste and sustainability; mass production materials and art pieces.”
See how the plastic waste enters a new life cycle.
Come back on the 7th, July. 2022.
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds