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Issue 59 - The Life Outside Issue

Issue 59

The Life Outside Issue

Introducing the Life Outside issue of Habitus magazine. With life increasingly being absorbed into a digital space, there is never a more important moment to hold something tangible. In this context, the power of nature to have a physiological impact on our sense of wellbeing has never been more important. So how can we cultivate the benefits of the our natural environment in the most intimate of places – our homes? This was the question that helped to bring this issue of Habitus to life.

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Taking ocean plastic to make marbled flower pots
ClimateGillian Serisier

Taking ocean plastic to make marbled flower pots

Taking an abundant waste product and doing something special with it, the Ocean Collection flower pots by elho use plastic waste and turn it into a beautiful addition to the home.

In the midst of all the bad news about Australia’s failure to meet recycling targets, CSIRO has announced that three-quarters of the rubbish along the Australian coastline is plastic, with most of the waste being from Australian sources, and concentrated near urban areas.

Oceanworks, a global ocean plastic marketplace supplier and producer of most of the world’s recycled marine waste granules, states that 11 million metric tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year. Using a track and trace program, Oceanworks identifies material sources into seven categories, including offshore (this includes the floating gyres of plastic in the deep ocean), nearshore, coastal, waterways and ocean-bound.

Effectively this allows manufacturers to use their product to inform consumers of the impact their choice makes. As plastic refusers, we have a long way to go, but on the right side of change is the Dutch company elho. A market leader in the field of plastic plant pots, elho has been focusing on the sustainable development of new collections, produced in the Netherlands, for over 57 years with its collection now sold in more than 75 countries.

The latest from elho is a collection of sustainable pots that are made using recycled maritime plastic granules. Sustainability assures the production technique affords each pot a unique colour and natural marble effect.

Ocean waste is a global environmental issue of gargantuan concern, and while homeware is a small gesture, it is the right gesture when choosing to make a difference, and an easy one when you have the readily available option of a good looking design product that uses recycled maritime waste.

“We wanted to do our part to help. A big portion of ocean plastic waste consists of fishing nets and ropes, which are abandoned at sea so we found a way to re-use this maritime plastic in our production process to create new unique Ocean Collection flower pots. In this way we do our part to prevent this waste from ending up in the ocean,” says Patty Willems, PR Manager at elho.

Environmental sustainability is key to elho, with all products made using wind energy and 100 per cent recyclable materials. “The ability to achieve an eco-friendly home lies in choosing products that have sustainable materials and are made with care,” says Willems. “Sustainable homewares not only help the environment but also double up as aesthetic, functional products that can complement the look and feel of the entire home.”

Supplied into Australian and New Zealand retail by Mayo Hardware, the elho Ocean Collection Designer pots are available from Bunnings Warehouse nationwide, in two colourways – Atlantic Blue and Pacific Green, and in two sizes.

CSIRO
csiro.au

Mayo Hardware
mayohardware.com.au

elho
elho.com/au

Photography – courtesy elho Australia

We think you might like to read an interview with Samantha Seljak, the founder of a closed-loop blanket brand – Seljak

About the Author

Gillian Serisier

Gillian Serisier is an editor-at-large for Indesign Media Asia Pacific, where she covers all corners of design and art across the Habitus and Indesign network. Gillian has contributed to many outstanding publications, and her extensive knowledge and sharp words make for compelling storytelling.

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ClimateCSIROecoelhohomewaresMayo Hardwareplasticplastic wastepotsRecycling

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Issue 59 - The Life Outside Issue

Issue 59

The Life Outside Issue

Introducing the Life Outside issue of Habitus magazine. With life increasingly being absorbed into a digital space, there is never a more important moment to hold something tangible. In this context, the power of nature to have a physiological impact on our sense of wellbeing has never been more important. So how can we cultivate the benefits of the our natural environment in the most intimate of places – our homes? This was the question that helped to bring this issue of Habitus to life.

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