03/02/2015 - Set against the backdrop of the Pyrenees, nestling in a valley at the foot of the mountains is the village of Itsasu and the Alki workshop. Surrounded by nature, this is a unique environment in which it is a privilege to work and one which they strive to protect by seeking out new and integrated methods of production.
They are very much aware that everything they do, whether as individuals or groups, has a direct impact on the surrounding environment.
This is why the oak they use comes from sustainably managed forests and most of their upholstery is made from natural materials (wool, natural fibres, linoleum, etc.). The approach to this new project is no different.
Alki decides that the collection they are presenting today, Kuskoa Bi, had to be a comfortable, enveloping chair and to achieve this they opted for a semi-concave shell. The material that best enables this shape to be created is plastic. However, the production of plastic not only depletes the world’s diminishing fossil resources, it is also a pollutant that harms the environment and is therefore contrary to their fundamental principles on sustainable development. To find a solution to this dilemma, they carried out in-depth investigative research and found a new material: bioplastic.
Kuskoa Bi, the first bioplastic chair
The comfortable and generouslysized Kuskoa Bi is the first chair on the market to be manufactured in bioplastic. Its particularly enveloping shell, cut out in such a way as to optimize back and arm support, is delicately placed on a solid wood trestle. An upholstered version is also available.
Bioplastic is a polymer with similar characteristics and properties to plastics made from non-renewable fossil fuels. It can be injected, extruded and thermoformed but it is made from plant-based renewable resources (beet, corn starch, sugarcane, etc.). This biobased polymer is fully recyclable and its organic properties mean that, when subjected to an industrial process, it is biodegradable. Moreover, another significant environmental aspect lies in its reduced carbon footprint as bioplastic production results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The use of bioplastic is currently being researched in a number of different industrial sectors, including the automotive industry.
True to their principles, they wanted to participate in this sustainable development approach by breaking new ground with the pioneering manufacture of a bioplastic chair.
ALKI on ARCHIPRODUCTS
