September 11, 2013

Biodegradable cabinet: a new approach to sustainability


Roger Bateman, 
senior lecturer in furniture design at Sheffield Hallam, 
with student Matt Harding

A furniture design academic from Sheffield Hallam University has started creating furniture made from 100 per cent biodegradable material, which can be composted at the end of its lifespan.

Roger Bateman, senior lecturer in furniture design at the University, spent a year working with student Matt Harding on the Biofurniture project, which aims to make production of 100 per cent biodegradable furniture easier. The project, in collaboration with Netcomposites in Chesterfield, started as a study into whether plant-based material could be used to make furniture components, instead of petrochemical-based plastics.