Manufacturing, Design, and the Art in Recycling in Finland
Whenever possible, we visit our manufacturers facilities so that we can become educated and verify claims. In this case, I traveled to Helsinki Finland and then hopped on bus to Turku where I met up with the team from Durat for a lesson in manufacturing, design, and the art in recycling.
Ulla Tuominen is the artist behind the beautiful colors and shapes that make Durat’s product line so unique. I was able to spend a day with Ulla and see the world through her eyes. First, we toured the manufacturing facility. I learned that the specks in Durat are the recycled content and the ending number of the color code indicates the type of recycled content – clear, white, black, large, small, multicolored, etc. Durat has partnerships with various manufacturers in Finland and neighboring Sweden to collect their waste plastics. The waste material is processed at the manufacturing facility where it goes through a process of being cleaned, stripped of any extraneous materials, and ground into the granular material.
Then, to the color lab. Where little samples of any color you can possibly imagine lie everywhere you look. Some colors are standard, others inspired by a clients vision – such as #810 where the client requested the color of a ‘granny smith apple’. When the wild colors combine with the recycled materials, the possibilities seem endless. Some of the projects that were being fabricated the day that I visited included a ‘granny smith apple’ colored tub, a dozen custom vanities with integrated sinks that were going into an office building, and free-standing Torni (Tower in English) sinks.
While I have long admired the material and designs of Durat, observing the manufacturing process inspired me to think about the potential for large scale custom projects such as hotels, office buildings, dorms, etc.
We drove from the manufacturing facility in Rymättylä to the Helsinki showroom located in the Design District in the center of the city. An area full of design and antique shops, fashion stores, museums, art galleries, restaurants and showrooms. In a restored warehouse, Durat’s showroom blends seamlessly with Artek, founded by the visionary modern architect (and Finnish design legend) Alvar Aalto. Taking recycling to new heights, I learned that Artek bought back original and vintage Aalto stools and chairs from schools, libraries and individuals and has resold them under the label 2nd Cycle. These 2nd Cycle gems were resold with their worn character intact, no refinishing.
Between the Artek and Durat showrooms the art of recycling took many functional, modern, and inspiring forms.
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