SUM: Still Usable Materials

[Translate to en_GB:] SUM: Stil Usable Materials

New value for written-off materials

SUM stands for Still Usable Materials, which is a category name for furniture made of actual written-off materials or products that can be re-used after renovation. The initiative is part of our Mission Hospitality and the ambition to give new value to used materials (upcycling) with innovative techniques.

Our Mission Hospitality is dedicated to our aim to be the most sustainable supplier of hospitality furniture in Europe by 2030, and SUM is one of our initiatives in the field of product and production. With this, we take responsibility for a social role and the impact we have on our habitat.

SUM is therefore not only an initiative about recycling and upcycling. It's also about assigning added value to collaborations. To attain this, we are constantly seeking new ways, materials, and forms of collaboration.

In order to guarantee the quality of our SUM products, we exclusively use high-quality recycled materials. This is why we collaborate with specialised companies that can provide the right inflow of used material. Working with one of our producers, we have succeeded in using recycled aluminium, and making high-quality wickerwork out of HDPE plastic granulate. For some time, we have also been supplying chairs with felt made from PET bottles.

Press

The Press series is a development within the SUM initiative, giving new value to discarded materials.

Unique to the series - consisting of a chair (with or without armrest), stacking chair and bar stool - is the shell, which is made of compressed felt made from recycled PET bottles.

Current - the story

Current serves as a typical example of the way we devote attention to people and environment under SUM. This series is the first product family from the Satelliet collection that is entirely made of recycled materials. The frames are made from recycled aluminium and synthetic wickerwork made from recycled plastic.

We started this specific recycling process with a producer from Indonesia with whom we have been working for more than 25 years and who is our partner in the production of furniture with plastic wickerwork. Over all these years of cooperation, we have gone together through many developments in technology and design. Having such a partnership also makes it possible to think together about the future and possibilities in the field of sustainability. This has already resulted in the recycling of aluminium, and now offers new opportunities again.

Current

Current is part of the Satelliet Originals collection and is the first product family within Satelliet to be made entirely of recycled materials.

Current falls under the initiative SUM - Still Usable Materials. The frames of the various designs are made of recycled aluminium - something we have been doing for some time - and plastic wickerwork made from recycled plastic.

Plastic and its recycling is currently a top-of-mind item, and the fact that the plastic waste problem in a country like Indonesia is so immense is old news. The step to produce the wickerwork based on recycled plastic is therefore the next logical step in the development of our collection.

We flew to Indonesia with this idea and started looking for a company that collects, sorts and processes plastic, and that can supply this as a new raw material to our producer. The recycling company that we eventually found is also known as MVO Nederland. This organisation supports companies (like us) in their search for collaborating partners for sustainability and is our advisor.

Code

Code is a newcomer to the sustainable SUM (Still Usable Materials) collection and also falls under the Satelliet Originals label.

Code consists of 100% 'post consumer waste'. The frame is made of recycled aluminium. The seat and back are made of recycled plastic. The plastics are sorted by colour and then melted down to create the characteristic basic colour with cheerful speckles.

[Translate to en_GB:] Serpent

Serpent

The fluidly designed Serpent is the latest addition to the sustainability initiative SUM - Still Usable Materials.

Its striking, organic lines give model Serpent, designed by Frans Schrofer for Satelliet Originals, a mysterious character. Serpent is chic and elegant, with a modern twist. The fact that the frame has tapered legs in addition to all its ingenious curves was a technical challenge. Extra nice: the combined use of recycled aluminium, rattan and cane makes Serpent a sustainable choice.