Carbon fibre – a green material?

Carbon fibre has many advantages, like e.g. extremely light weight, excellent strength and the design freedom it offers in terms of shapes. On the downside, carbon fibre is usually not considered a green material, partly because of the production process itself and partly due to the fact that it is difficult to recycle.

So how can we claim that our designs are sustainable? Well, first of all, unlike most new products nowadays, ch.air is designed to withstand the test of time, both physically and visually. Since the materials are so strong, the ch.air might easily outlive its owner, and with a new layer of clearcoat every few years, it can look fresh and new for a very long time.

Another important aspect is of course the shape. Ch.air was designed to be logical, well-proportioned, refined and elegant, all of which make for a timeless design. Some new chairs are designed with a much more trendy approach, and though some of them look very cool, it is no secret that a trend by definition is followed by another, so after some time the product may look outdated. And even though it might still be a fully functioning chair, the owner is likely to get tired of its looks and buy something new instead.

So the fact that many so-called green products are in fact designed to be thrown away after a couple of years, either because they won’t work anymore or because they will look passé, is something we feel is worth giving more consideration. We believe the time aspect – too often ignored in discussions on sustainability – is an important factor that makes this a greener project than some people might think.