In order to raise awareness for the waste streams of the fashion and textile industries, designer Benjamin Stanton developed corrugated boards made of recycled denim, intended for furniture design.

The fashion and textiles industries are some of the most polluting in the world, ranging from CO2 emissions to toxic chemicals in dyes. The project, called Corrugated Denim, came forth from Stanton’s wish to recycle some of the waste output from those industries. He picked denim as the production of this material uses vast amounts of water, and recycling the fabric poses many issues.

The boards are made up of eight laminated layers of denim, bonded with bio resin. The denim is layered in an aluminium mould and compressed together into a corrugated board. Because of denim’s tight diagonal weave, the stacking of the layers makes the boards strong.

To illustrate the boards’ strength, Stanton designed a bookcase. Consisting of traditional mortise and tenon joints, an oak frame supports the denim boards, which act as the shelves.

Stanton states: “These corrugated denim boards […] show how textiles waste could be used creatively, displaying them as part of a functional piece of furniture coinciding beautifully alongside the oak frame.”

The project won the 100% Design Award for innovation at New Designers 2019.

Photos: Benjamin Stanton