From research project to full-scale production – the remarkable story behind Flokk’s recycled snow plough marker plastic, turning trash into treasure on an industrial scale.

In 2021, Flokk released a limited edition HÅG Capisco chair made of recycled snow plough markers. This pilot project, in collaboration with research center SINTEF, was part of Flokk’s ongoing mission to find new viable sources of waste to turn into high-quality furniture. This Limited Edition of HÅG Capisco was even awarded with the Plastics Recycling Award Europe 2021! Today, with the partners Våler Vekst and Statens Vegvesen, Flokk is able to secure a sustainable supply of discarded snow plough markers, and a significant reduction in plastic waste ending up in landfill or incineration.

Våler Vekst is Norway’s largest producer of snowplough markers, for marking the roads during the harsh winters. Of the roughly 600 tonnes of plastic put out every year, 180 tonnes are damaged beyond repair. The General Manager of Våler Vekst read about the HÅG Capisco Limited Edition chair and he saw the opportunity for a sustainable solution to their waste problem. Flokk replied that, despite its success, the project had been frozen due to the lack of a regular and reliable supply of waste markers.

The Press Manager of Statens Vegvesen read the same article. Statens Vegvesen owns 40% of the roads in Norway, carrying 80% of all the traffic. As Norway is covered with snow up to 6 months a year, keeping the roads clear and safe is an important duty. He reached out to Flokk as well and this was the beginning of a successful collaboration, turning an idea into reality.

The idea was a win-win for everyone – a steady supply of recycled materials for Flokk and a sustainable disposal of damaged snowmarkers for Statens Vegvesen and Våler Vekst. The missing link was the collection of sufficient road markers to produce chairs on an effective large industrial scale.

For the first run in spring 2021, Våler Vekst initiated a collaboration for returning the damaged road markings with their largest contractors. One of them, Veidekke, developed the logistical solution for this purpose.

The contractors collected as much as 7.5 tonnes of plastic. This raw material is processed into small shreds of plastic, which are used to produce chair parts. Without any additives nor virgin material, making it 100% recycled plastic.

7.5 tonnes roughly corresponds to 2,800 HÅG Capisco Puls chairs. Due to the unique colour combination of the collected snowmarkers, each annual batch will have a slight variation of colour – a subtle marker for the ‘vintage year’ of the chair.

It is not possible to provide samples of the material.