Zero Waste – new furniture created from leftover materials
At a time where responsible production and sustainability matter more than ever, we are working purposefully to minimize our footprint. Furniture production will always generate some form of leftover material – but what if it doesn’t have to end up as waste?
That question became the starting point for our Zero Waste project, which we are developing in close collaboration with Aalborg University.
Can waste become new furniture?
Halfway through the project, the answer is clear: Yes, it’s possible. We can create beautiful, functional, and relevant furniture by rethinking leftover materials as valuable resources.
But the road to get there requires innovation, flexibility, and a design focus rooted in reality – not theory.
Availability: When the material sets the pace
One of the biggest challenges is the availability of leftover materials. There is no continuous access to uniform amounts of waste, which means production must adapt to the materials that become available.
Therefore, we work according to four key principles:
- Production only when materials are available: Each production run becomes unique because the raw materials vary. It requires flexibility and a willingness to produce when leftover material is at hand.
- Utilizing offcuts from existing production: Materials that would otherwise be discarded are given new life instead of ending up as waste.
- Combining residual materials and rejected wood: The furniture can consist of both waste wood, paint rejections, and wood of lower visual quality – materials that normally would not pass quality control.
- Upstream collaboration: By collecting and integrating leftover materials early in the process chain, we can use resources even more efficiently.
Design as the key to reducing waste
The most crucial element in the Zero Waste project is design.
When production is considered already in the design phase, we can avoid a large portion of the waste that would otherwise occur. At the same time, the project challenges us to design based on the materials that exist – not the ones we might wish for.
This creative limitation becomes a strength in practice:
It forces us to be agile, think innovatively, and create furniture that tells a story of both responsibility and craftsmanship.
Beautiful results are beginning to take shape
Now that the project has reached its halfway point, we are seeing the first models emerge—furniture made from waste wood, yet with a modern expression and high functionality.
We are already looking forward to presenting the finished Zero Waste furniture during 3 Days of Design in June next year.
Zero Waste is not just about reducing waste. It’s about seeing value in what is overlooked, creating new solutions, and taking responsibility for how we produce.
We look forward to sharing the rest of the journey with you.
