Designer Insights: The Future of Offices
Vol.5 The cutting edge of sustainable furniture and interior products
Upcycling waste materials from food trays
As food takeout became even more popular during the coronavirus pandemic, the use of food trays increased. The general plastic products manufacturer KOBAYASHI makes food trays out of a biomass composite material with cornflour mixed in. The share of biomass is over 50%, which plays a large part in reducing oil use and CO2 emissions.
This biomass composite material comes in sheet form, and like paper, it can be drawn on and things can be pasted on it. Additionally, it tears in a straight line. When producing food trays, leftover parts are unavoidable. These leftover parts do not share a uniform pattern or colour. Thinking of a way to upcycle them in a way suitable for the properties of the material led to the SAKU IKA product from KOBAYASHI’s tontamu brand.
The sheets are cut into a squid shape. Playing with them using your hands and fingers, for example tearing them or crushing them into clumps, helps stimulate the brain. They can also be enjoyed by drawing on them. The patterns and colours included vary by the pack, and the surprise when finding out what you get is part of the appeal.
SAKU IKA are a new kind of novelty, or perhaps rather stationery, product. They can be used for brainstorming, relaxation, communication, or in any other way the user can come up with. Thanks to being made of resin, they have a feel and strength that paper products do not. Furthermore, there are plans to collect them after use and recycle them into new material again.
has also been positive. We have been told that ripping SAKU IKA feels satisfying and is addictive. We are currently working on getting more places to stock them, focusing on outlets such as museum shops. In the future, we want to set up collection points to increase the recycling ratio and create a circular system to make them an item that isn’t just thrown away”, explains a representative of KOBAYASHI, the owner of the tontamu brand.