Green solutions: recycling in outdoor design

Current discussions revolve around the avoidance of plastic or closed material cycles. Exhibitors of spoga+gafa have been focusing on recycling and sustainable production processes for some time.

Companies presenting their innovations at the international garden trade fair have been trying for years to reduce the use of new materials. Instead, they rely on recycled materials or residues in their manufacture. Recycled plastic furniture or textile remnants are used as well as used natural woods. The supply of alternative materials from waste products for garden furniture or planters is steadily increasing.

Furniture from old huts and boats

As one of the first garden furniture manufacturers, Zebra has combined high-quality design with sustainable production. For more than ten years, the "greenline" collection has been produced exclusively from recycled teak and has been continually expanded with new furniture. The old wood not only contributes to the conservation of resources, but with its traces of use makes each piece of furniture unique. The starting material is almost without exception teak wood from old huts, bridges or boats from Indonesia. The recycled wood used by the exhibitor Ploß for his outdoor furniture is also from there. The manufacturer's range also includes shelves or benches made from parts of old fishing boats.

Waste becomes design

Also for the use of plastic, the green industry is increasingly looking for "green" solutions. Products such as the plant pots or watering cans from Elho's "green basics" collection contain recycled plastic and are self-recyclable. According to the Dutch manufacturer, about 70 percent of the materials used are recycled plastics. In addition, the company uses its own wind energy for production. The closed material cycle for the "Blue" plant pot series, with which the company Pöppelmann has expanded its product range, is similarly sustainable. The products in the collection are 100 percent recycled plastic and 100 percent recyclable. The Italian furniture manufacturer Nardi shows how old polypropylene furniture can be transformed into stylish outdoor objects: The modules of the "Komodo Eco Wall" wall system made of recycled plastic can be freely combined vertically or horizontally.

Residues with charm

More recycling options are available for other outdoor materials. The manufacturer Sunbrella, which supplies many exhibitors of spoga+gafa with textiles, processes fabric waste into "Renaissance yarns". These consist of 50 percent recycled yarns and give the resulting textiles a vintage look. The Brazilian hammocks and hanging chairs by Amazonas, which are sewn from recycled cotton, also have a nostalgic charm. The company also uses FSC-certified wood from sustainable forestry for the frames. An alternative to wood is the material Resysta from a waste product of rice cultivation. The predominantly rice husk material has the look and feel of natural tropical wood and is particularly weather resistant.

The upcoming spoga+gafa will be showing the sustainable solutions that the green industry still has from 1 to 3 September in Cologne. In addition to exhibitors' latest recycling concepts, lectures and special areas such as the Trend Show Outdoor Furniture & Decoration highlight environmentally friendly products and manufacturing processes. For more information, please visit: www.spogagafa.com