ABOUT
An innovation in bio-materials that up-cycles hopeless food waste, making zero-waste a reality. A promising solution to the plastic toxicity resulting from today’s mainstream consumer behaviour.
Nature | Domain
MOS is an output from a classroom project at the Willem De Kooning Academy, Rotterdam.
I explored and experimented with bio-materials as an alternative to mainstream plastic.
Team | Timeline
MOS is an individual project born out of what started off as a team effort.
April ‘17 - June ‘17
What It Is
MOS is a solution to our negligence in consumption. It up-cycles USED tea leaves and REJECTED berries to replace plastics. It encourages responsible consumption beyond our plates - saving 1/4th of our water supply and reducing CO2 impact by 21 times.
Design Process
The design process used was iterative and experimental with cyclic shifts between research and testing. It transitioned from a place of not-knowing to ‘promising prototype’ having been preserved for over 2 years now.
Born in a controlled environment, waste food material combinations were subjected to a spectrum of temperatures and rolling processes. A second level of experimentation and testing was carried out to achieve complex properties like impermeability, rigidity, aroma retention and aesthetic value. No preservatives were used in the process and all prototypes are made from produce left to waste at local farmers markets.
MoS was subjected to varying natural and artificial changes in temperatures.
The final product resulted from several rounds of experimenting and material study. Additionally, moulds were used to master form, technique, test elasticity, thickness and decay rates.
The MoS bowls today are rigid and rot free, with no preservatives in a dry and cool environment. They are non-porous and berry scented with varied gelatine glazes.
How it’s different
It's a product that uses 'waste' to create value, with a 100% sustainable production process and zero waste generation. Its up-cycles used tea leaves from a universal beverage with no after-life. Given India's famous ‘chai’ culture and a population of 1.33 billion, this single utility material is abundant. Berries, on the other hand, are given the opportunity to be used differently since damage to these delicate perishables is inevitable without plastic suffocation. MOS strategically up-cycles 2 hopeless materials to create a brighter future.
The bowls are non-porous, rigid, aromatic and beautiful. MOS is a meaningful, impacting solution to replace plastics, creating a circular economy that makes zero waste a reality, It supports ugly-produce by nudging consumer behaviour towards climate change mitigation. Preservative free and safe for the environment, this is an opportunity to make bio-materials the new normal.
& Recognition
MoS has received a provisional patent. It has hbeen displayed at the London Design Week in 2017 and shortlisted for the Lexus Design Awards.
