Architecture studio Snøhetta is working towards a more circular economy with its latest chair design, which is made from recycled plastic and steel taken from Norwegian fish farming industries.

For the past two years, Snøhetta has been working on a research project related to plastic. The aim has been to understand plastic as a material, its journey and footprint in the value chain, as well as its inherent qualities. A key ambition is to shift the public’s attitude towards used plastic, from regarding it as waste to seeing it as a valuable resource that should be employed in new ways once it has served its original purpose.

The materials used in the production of the S-1500 chair is provided by local fish farming companies that supply NCP with worn-out fish nets, ropes and pipes from their operations. Once these components are worn out they can be collected, processed and subsequently grinded into a granulate that can be injected into formwork, generating endless of possibilities for developing new objects. In this way, the project contributes to building a local, circular economy, as it employs plastic waste from the local industry to produce chairs in the same area.