FROM OCEAN TO OFFICE

FREEING OUR OCEANS OF PLASTIC, ONE CHAIR AT A TIME

Humanscale®, a leading international designer and manufacturer of high-performance ergonomic products using recycled ocean plastic waste in the production of their new Smart™ Ocean and Liberty™ Ocean range of office chairs. The nylon from discarded ocean fishing nets is transformed into plastic pellets which are then used to manufacture the first-ever ergonomic chairs made from polluted marine waste.

Discarded fishing nets are widely regarded as the most harmful type of ocean plastic and cause widespread damage to our delicate ecosystems, choking many of our marine animals and organisms off our coastal waters – and in many other parts of the world. Kim Kowalski, Director and Co-Founder of Formfunc Studio, the exclusive distributor and dealer-partner for Humanscale® in southern Africa, says that each chair incorporates around 0.9kg of reclaimed fishing net material.

“While this is only a small step in the massive task to rid our oceans of plastic, we believe it encapsulates an earnest approach by Humanscale® to develop solutions that have a net positive impact on our environment,” says Kowalski.

HUMANSCALE® STRIVING FOR NET POSITIVE – FROM MANUFACTURING TO END PRODUCT

Apart from the use of recycled fishing nets, both the Smart Ocean and Liberty Ocean chairs are Living Product Certified. This internationally adopted certification is an overarching commitment towards producing goods in a socially responsible manner and which offer ‘net positive’ benefits for humans and the environment. Kowalski says that Humanscale® has adopted a holistic approach to bettering the environment, this includes addressing the materials and chemicals used in the manufacturing processes – and an overall commitment to the adoption of responsible manufacturing practices.

“Because the preservation and conservation of our earth’s natural resources and heritage is so important, we are working with Humanscale® to encourage other manufacturers and suppliers in our industry to do the same.”

CREATING A NET POSITIVE IMPACT – LEADING BY EXAMPLE

The Living Product Label is a certification of authenticity as to the origin and make-up of the manufacturer’s product. To achieve full product certification under the Living Product Label, manufacturers have to meet specific criteria. This standards framework is organised into seven performance areas, called Petals. Each performance area, or Petal, has additional detailed requirements called Imperatives. When a product meets each Imperative for every Petal, a product can be Living Product Certified.

The Living Product Challenge is the first standard based upon the principles of full transparency to incorporate both Life Cycle Analysis and a material health evaluation in order to create products that are Net Positive to the environment across their life cycle.

To find out more about the Living Products Challenge, check out: https://living-future.org/lpc/