Disposable materials made of a weed

Dutch designer Sanne Bruurmijn developed various disposable materials out of a plant generally considered a weed, Canadian fleabane.

In a project called Gewenst Ongewas (which can be loosely translated to ‘desired non-crop’), Bruurmijn aims to not contribute the harmful throw-away culture. Instead, she uses natural raw materials which are hardly or not at all used because they are regarded as a weed, because, as she says, “We are too quick to consider a plant a weed.”

Bruurmijn focused on a weed called Canadian fleabane, also called horseweed. The plant originated in North America, but it has also spread to Asia, Europe and Australia, and is considered invasive in China.

The materials Bruurmijn developed, such as woven mats and composites with natural binders, are 100% compostable and recyclable.

Images via DDW