Earlier this year, Ogoori was established with the ambition to clean up plastic waste from our oceans and reuse it in products, such as furniture, in a closed-loop production system. Ogoori is proud to present two products by Ope and Vestre, made from ownerless marine plastic collected by our beach cleanup partners, In The Same Boat and Clean Shores.
These two products will be offered on the market in 2021 with the opportunity for pre-order now. The ownerless marine plastic supplied by Ogoori is tracking the plastic and its origins with a digital DNA built in collaboration with Empower.
Coast bench
Photo: Coast bench from Norwegian furniture brand, Vestre.
Coast is Vestre’s first shining example of what can actually be achieved through not just collecting marine plastic, but also using it to create something completely new.
“It’s an inspiring and gratifying task to design a bench that uses plastic collected from beaches with the help of volunteers. So it feels really good to have created the first bench from this material for Vestre, and to contribute to sustainable development with a product that will be accessible to everyone”, says designer Allan Hagerup.
Coast is made from steel which has been hot-dip galvanised and powder coated, with seating surfaces made of plastic collected from Norwegian beaches, where the ownerless plastic accumulates, destroying nature and natural cycles. Coast is a solid bench, built to endure outdoor use in marine environments.
The plastic's history is also reflected in how the shape of the bench has borrowed its design and theme from the marine environment. From the front, you can make out the outline of a boat’s hull, and the plastic parts lie in a row, submerged in the protective steel frame, giving the impression of floating on the surface. The steel frame extends upwards on thin legs and lifts the plastic material onto a pedestal.
“When the material is of variable quality, it is important to consider what happens to the plastic over time outdoors. To prevent erosion, the plastic parts must be replaced at regular intervals. Through a deposit system or through a lease with regular servicing by Vestre. The frame is therefore shaped so that it is simple to replace the plastic parts as needed. Of course, the used plastic is recycled again and turned into new products”, explains Allan Hagerup.
Coast bench
Photo: Petrel focus tool from Norwegian design company, Ope.
Norwegian design company Ope launches Petrel, a focus tool for the hybrid workplace, made from 100% closed-loop marine plastic and reclaimed wood. With Petrel, the company aims to redraw the line between work and private life, to create a better and more productive work environment for home office workers. Petrel is an analogue tool that rebuilds the habit to focus and be present in our work and leisure mode. By positioning the drop-shaped wooden handle of the tool, one can anchor one’s own focus, while communicating availability non-verbally to others.
“During the design process, I came to realize that Petrel, purely by existing in people’s lives, would facilitate conversations that are fundamental for healthy relationships. Through active use, it gives us an agreed upon and non-verbal language when situations of overlapping interest occur,” says Creative Director and Designer of Ope, Eirik Helgesen.
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the remote workplace lifestyle and increased the friction between people at their own homes that now has become their office space.
“In our time we have a tendency to turn to digital tools for any issue related to communication or managing our work and private life. But humans are not digital by nature, and our natural tools like expressing and interpreting emotions are far richer than what can be digitized,” says Co-founder, designer and CEO of Ope, Lars Urheim.
Inspiration for the design comes from seabirds, and the base made of ownerless plastic hints to the fact that researchers find plastic in nearly all the bodies of seabirds they examine. The name, Petrel, was inspired by a study from Denmark’s environmental protection agency that was discovered by designer Eirik Høvik Helgesen. The study revealed that more than 95 percent of northern petrels that were found dead off the Danish coast had plastic in their stomachs. These particular seabirds generally hunt for food on the surface of the sea and so are susceptible to ingesting plastic floating on the surface.
Why circular products matter?
There is no doubt we have a global crisis of plastic pollution to tackle now to make a better and greener world for the next generations to live in, and to prevent further damages to marine animals and wildlife on land. Plastic manufacturers and producers have a responsibility to ensure that the plastic doesn’t end up in nature and destroying the food chains for the marine ecosystem.
From the World Economic Forum, 46% of plastic separated for recycling in the European Union, UK, Switzerland and Norway is still exported, despite a sophisticated waste management infrastructure. The exported plastic often ends up in South-East Asian countries and a significant amount becomes rejected and ends up in our oceans. Already, an enormous 8 million metric tons of plastic waste are dumped into the oceans annually.
Ogoori is proud of both Vestre and Ope for creating these groundbreaking, circular products on a service rental model to tackle the global crisis on plastic pollution. This is a great step forward for showcasing how industry key players can adopt a circular business model, be part of beating plastic pollution and taking extended producer responsibility for their materials.
Products are available for pre-order.
Coast bench link: https://vestre.com/uk/news/the-world-s-first-bench-made-from-ownerless-marine-plastic
Petrel focus tool link: https://ope.eco/petrel/
About Ogoori
Ogoori is a Norwegian startup creating economic value in ownerless marine plastic waste. The plastic is collected through coastal cleanups and is offered to companies interested in closing the loop. The origin and story of the plastic can be followed by everyone on an accessible digital passport that illustrates the chain of custody. Every batch is registered, granulated, and evaluated by third-party partners to ensure its quality for future products. Ogoori strategic alliances to help our partners transition from linear to circular business models.
Contact details:
Larissa Slottet, CEO.
Email: larissa@ogoori.eco
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