As a front-runner in the furniture design field, Zuiver feels it’s our responsibility to minimise our environmental and social footprint by exploring alternative materials and production methods. Last year, we sold over 350,000 products worldwide. Every single product we design and sell has some connection to natural resources. We are ready to make new choices in order to treat our planet with the utmost respect and to minimise our footprint.
We believe that every step towards the goal counts just as much as the goal itself – and it’s this progress that’s one of our continued points of focus. In fact, our brand got its name from the Dutch word for “pure”; and it’s with a pure (or transparent) sensibility that we begin our ongoing journey towards sustainability.
“When we design, we design for the future – not only in how our products look, but also the wider impact they have. We need to rethink the decisions we make when it comes to resources. As a mum of three, I want my children and future grandchildren to grow up in the same world as I did.” – Caroline van Velze, Creative Director, Zuiver
Our design team is currently exploring the possibility of introducing different materials into the Zuiver collection to further reduce our environmental footprint:
Photo credits: Zuiver, Vibers.nl, Studio Klarenbeek & Dros
1. Upcycled PET plastic, meet the Thirsty chair series
– Designed in collaboration with Amsterdam-based APE Studio
– Each chair’s shell is made from upcycled PET and contains plastic from between 60-100 bottles
– The chairs are all assembled in China: the same country from which the post-consumer waste is collected
– The frame is made from powder-coated steel, and both materials are 100% recyclable and renewable
– The Thirsty chair series comes with and without armrests and is available in 4 colours: blended blue, soft pink, ash grey and graphite grey
– Available in stores November 2019
2. Elephant grass bioplastic, currently in development
– Designed in collaboration with Amsterdam-based APE Studio
– Elephant grass is easy to cultivate and it grows extremely fast
– Per acre it absorbs four times as much CO² as trees (which equates to approx. 30 tonnes CO²/hectare/year)
– The plastic is biodegradable and can be disposed of in an industrial compost installation
– We’re currently designing a range of dining chairs from this material
3. Seaweed bioplastic, currently in development
– A collaboration with Studio Klarenbeek & Dros, an award-winning Dutch based design studio that focuses on ecotechnological and collaborative research
– Algae (or seaweed) is fundamental to our evolution; it captures CO² and produces over 70% of the oxygen we breathe
– Our design team has worked closely with Studio Klarenbeek & Dros in exploring the potential of using locally grown micro- and macro-algae to create biopolymers
– The seaweed is processed into biopolymers to produce a bio-sourced material that is fully home compostable
– The next step in the process is to explore the material’s application options for in furniture designs
Portfolio–wide achievements
Besides the material–driven initiatives in our Zuiver collection, we (the Zuiver B.V. group) have taken other significant steps towards sustainability. Our brand new global HQ is generating 30% of its own energy through solar panels, and within 5 years we aim for this to be 100%. We encourage all our manufactures to use recyclable packaging materials and to reduce the use of virgin plastics and styrofoam. We have binding agreements with our manufacturers to create a work environment that respects our employees’ human and labor rights. These achievements are integrated within our entire brand portfolio – including Dutchbone, Bold Monkey and our White Label Living collection.
