RE:SHAPE
RE:SHAPE is a pilot project with the aim to learn and explore possibilities of converting carpet waste into new materials and products.
A circular mindset
Waste is a major challenge globally – also in the hospitality industry. It is not enough to cut consumption – less bad is still bad. At the same time, the world is experiencing a shortage of resources and slowly understand the need and value of a circular economy.
We all face a huge challenge – designers, suppliers, shipowners, shipyards, and all other stakeholders in the industry. We need to develop innovative and technological solutions to recover our “waste resources”. Also, we need to discover new usages of these “waste resources.” Last, but definitely not least, these solutions need to be translated into systems that can be implemented, for instance during drydocks.
Therefore, it can seem overwhelming and almost impossible to find solutions that can be realised.
However, we need action and experiments to begin thinking in new ways and solutions to deal with the waste issue in the cruise industry. Therefore, we initiated a pilot project taking back some carpet waste from a Color Line cruise ferry.
An ongoing process
We know that we are not solving the challenge on a short-term basis, but we want to get started and gain knowledge and experience.
In the process of creating a possible starting point for circular use of carpet waste, we have at some points felt like modern-day explorers – on a quest into uncharted land. We know where we would like the journey to end but not necessarily the way to get there.
We may still be a long way from our zero-waste ideal, but that is no excuse for doing nothing. Every step matters if it is a step in the right direction.
When talking about product circularity, an important foundation is ensuring the material health of the original product. Therefore, step 1, as also envisioned in the Cradle to Cradle philosophy, is to ensure the health of the material before it enters a circular cycle.
Therefore, in this pilot project, we have taken our Cradle-to-Cradle certified Colortec RE:THINK carpets as our starting point, where all materials and substances have been mapped and assessed.
RE:SHAPE – Turning carpet waste into new materials
1. Shredding
Used carpet is shredded into a basic granulate
2. Cafting
A mat made of the granulate mixed with bonding fibres
3. Pressing
The mat is pressed into semi-finished products
The process
We picked up used carpet at a shipyard in Denmark during a drydock, making sure to separate Colortec carpet from other carpet waste.
The process of transforming the carpet waste into new materials consists of three or four steps:
- The carpet is shredded into very fine fibres using an innovative mechanical technology
- A melting fibre is added to the carpet fibres
- In a heating process the fibres are formed into non-woven felt mats
- These mats can be pressed in a heating process and different types of materials emerge
Since transforming waste into new materials only makes sense if there is a good use of these materials, the pilot project also embraces new product development.
With the mentioned process, the fibres are too short to be used as new carpet fibres. Therefore, the focus has been to discover other product innovations and to avoid downgrading the material to insulation materials or the like. We want to keep the material in the world of interior design making it possible for the material to re-enter cruise ships in a new form.
We named the material RE:SHAPE.
Interior design solutions
We have designed various interior design solutions, from acoustic elements to small furniture. And our brand book is covered in this Color Line carpet waste.
We are not at the finish line, but we have come a long way and continue our journey.
With this pilot project we hope to raise the awareness in the hospitality industry of the great challenge we face regarding waste. We hope to encourage the industry to start dealing with the problem and join forces across stakeholders and organisations to find solutions to solve the problem.
Collaborations on RE:SHAPE
Exciting pilot projects
We have engaged in collaborations with several companies both inside and outside of the hospitality industry. Our goal is to create ways to transform and thus reuse carpet waste and to explore new resulting materials and products.
The ideas of reusing carpet waste is limited only by imagination. We have created furniture, signage, door hangers, acoustic elements and much more.
