Plastic Reinvented

Among the Heller classics and new pieces to be made with Worry Free Plastics’ regenerative material is the Vignelli collection of blocky tables — which also recently introduced a palette of six new colourways: Slate, Turquoise, Celadon, Citron, Ochre and Brown.

A titan of heirloom-quality injection-moulded plastic furniture, Heller has long been at the forefront of innovation and sustainable responsibility. Cognizant of the impact plastic manufacturing has on the environment, the company continuously investigates ways to make its iconic indoor–outdoor furniture and accessories as kind to the planet as possible. A new partnership with Worry Free Plastics is its latest advancement toward creating built-to-last pieces that leave no trace behind. Starting April 1st of this year, Heller is using the technological company’s 100 per cent regenerative, microplastic-free material for most of its furniture (and eventually all furniture and accessories). How does it work exactly? During manufacturing, the proprietary polymer is embedded with an organic enzyme that will stay dormant unless it reaches the landfill, at which time it becomes activated by the ecosystem and is consumed by micro-organisms in less than five years’ time, enriching the soil with nutrients — yet the reliable strength and durability of the pieces remains unchanged. While finding pieces of Heller furniture at the dump is unlikely (who throws out an icon?), if one does find its way there, it’s nice to know it’ll be contributing to waste decomposition rather than accumulation.

Recyclable Foam

The Mynt chair by Erwan Bouroullec features a body weight–activated mechanism that tilts forward or backward with shifts in posture, the seat moving independently of the backrest. It’s the first product in Vitra’s portfolio to be introduced with V-Foam for the upholstered seat cushion configuration.

A mainstay of furniture manufacturing (and other industries) since the 1950s, polyurethane (PU) foam has fallen under scrutiny in recent years for its cost-prohibitive and energy-intensive recycling methods — once thermoformed, it’s nearly impossible to reshape and re-use. But Vitra is about to change that. Working closely with German chemical and plastics company BASF — a decades-long
product development partner dating back to the Panton chair — the iconic brand has introduced the first-ever economically recyclable PU foam. In development since 2022, V-Foam is meltable, meaning it can be transformed into a new polyol through a special form of mechanical recycling; it can then be reshaped into a new foam in a closed-loop cycle that requires little energy. While Vitra holds exclusive rights to V-Foam for its first year from the start of production — and will be introducing it for all its moulded foam furniture starting in 2025 — it will be available to order through BASF afterwards, and the furniture brand is encouraging as many companies as possible to adopt the sustainable material (including in the mattress and automotive industries) so that, one day, only this type of PU foam will be available for recycling.