From waste to mood lighting
The KNIXHULT lamp series is made of bamboo and is a small but important step towards our goal of having 100% circular products by 2030. But what does circular actually mean? Among other things, we are to only use recycled or renewable materials, and that all of our products are recyclable. To better understand what it means for a bamboo lamp, we travelled to Vietnam and studied the entire process from growing to weaving. The result – KNIXHULT.
It was with a supplier in Vietnam that product developer Anna Granath and the team realised that less than 20% of the bamboo plant is used when weaving home furnishings. The rest is sorted to be used as fuel. "Often, there is nothing wrong with the quality, the sorted bamboo just has minor colour variations", says Anna, who found those variations interesting. "We took a pile of discarded bamboo for test weaving and the result was so beautiful and genuine. It became even more beautiful when the skilled craftspeople at our weaving centre took over".
Easy to recycle
On site in Vietnam, Anna and the team could also adapt the lamp's construction. Not only for it to take up limited space during transport, but for it to be easy to take apart when it’s time for recycling. "The bamboo lamp shade is treated with a water-based lacquer and should be sorted separately, while the cord and lamp holder should be sorted as electrical waste", says Anna. "But before being recycled, of course it will have provided beautiful lighting for many years".
Looking after the earth's resources
For Anna, KNIXHULT became something more than a lamp with nice lighting. The whole project gave her a useful insight. "I think we all need to see the earth's resources with new eyes and question why some of it is seen as waste. KNIXHULT is a small step in the right direction. By allowing a natural expression to shine, we can use 65% of bamboo instead of just 20%."
