From solar textile to endless recycling: innovative designers with an eye to the future

Pauline van Dongen | SUNTEX

Pauline makes a lightweight and energy-generating textile with solar cells that has applications such as facade cladding, festival tents or awnings. With her material SUNTEX, she offers architects and designers the opportunity to make many more types of surfaces energy-generating than was possible until now.

“With my work I want to give people a different view on solar energy and increase energy awareness by designing tangible interactions with solar energy. I also hope to show that our relationship with the sun is very rich and offers so much more than energy alone.”

Lotte Douwes | Meaningful Matter

Lotte makes high-quality, new tableware and interior products from ceramic waste. She is committed to making the porcelain and earthenware production process entirely circular. The plates in your cupboard and that cup on your desk may seem very ordinary, but they are made from precious pieces of earth.

“The ceramics industry is very polluting. With my work I want to share knowledge about how ceramics are made, where products come from, who makes them and whether those people are fairly paid. I want to make sure people never look at an ordinary cup in the same way again. And show that you don't have to use new materials to make a good product.”

Boey Wang | Haptics of Cooking

Boey creates 100% inclusive products for performing everyday tasks. His range of cooking utensils is designed to be attractive and functional for both people with and without visual impairments.

“Many standard items are unsuitable for people with visual impairments, or they require adjustments. And many tools designed for the visually impaired are unattractive for people with normal vision. I want to design multisensory products that offer a more complete experience for everyone.”

Hedwig Heinsman, Martine de Wit & Hans Vermeulen | Aectual

Aectual offers a fully circular interior solution, from furniture to wall panels and ceilings. The 3D printed products are made from recycled waste streams and plant materials, without producing any waste during the process. After use, the products are taken back, shredded into new material, and reused in new designs.

Hedwig: “Interior changes cause a continuous waste stream. It is probably the largest cause of CO2 emissions in the construction industry, alongside the production of concrete and steel. When 3D printing emerged in the 2010s, we saw opportunities for change in the architecture and design scene. Using large 3D printers, we enable communities to create their own environment using waste materials. This vision of a sustainable future is the driving force behind our work.”

Milou Voorwinden | Studio Milou Voorwinden

Milou is pushing the boundaries of the existing fashion and textile industry by developing innovative 3D weaving techniques. She creates a 'foldable' fabric that comes straight off the loom as a complete item, such as a pair of trousers or a bag. In this way, she is working towards on-demand clothing production without waste.

“Most textiles that are produced consist of one layer of fabric. I am developing a method that works differently, that can weave in multiple layers simultaneously. In doing so, I aim to establish a new approach to textile production. By weaving directly into a shape, rather than just a piece of fabric, we can streamline the production process and minimise material waste.”

Huub Looze & Margreet van Uffelen | Omlab

Huub and Margeet create products such as sloped tiles and birdhouses that help restore the soil and biodiversity after use. Their design and research agency Omlab carries out research into biobased and circular materials. They use the results to design examples of products aimed at promoting sustainability in the construction world.

“We are concerned about the state of nature, and both think it’s important to treat nature with respect. What drives us both is that we want to take responsibility for combating the loss of biodiversity in the interest of future generations. We want to design differently, with nature as a shareholder.”

Doreen Westphal | Resty & Fungi Hack

Doreen, together with entrepreneur Ruud Zanders, makes pure and healthy food from vegetable waste sourced from Dutch farmers. Under the name Resty, they process rejected mushroom stems and misshapen tomatoes into the tastiest plant-based burgers and sausages.

“I use residual flows at the beginning of the chain and create a high-quality additional use for them. I see my role as a kind of partner for farmers, where I look at their residual flows with a fresh perspective and help them turn it into something valuable. I believe it's important that our product is simply delicious, without labels like vegan or vegetarian. I don’t believe in persuading people by assigning blame. I hope that my work will make people think: where does my food come from? Why does it look the way it does? And that they will make different choices as a result.”

Want to know more about Secrid and this year’s seven talented designers? Learn more about the designers on the Secrid site.