POST B: Ocean Collection

In a world that is constantly fed and effortlessly deceived by the market, it is easy to deviate from the effects of this behaviour to the natural environment. Post consumer waste and wrong disposal methods significantly impacts the both land and marine environments. Plastic waste is one of the major contributors of water pollution. According to CleanUp Australia, the estimated amount of littered plastic bags that enter Australia is around 50 million per year. Marine pollution is one of the biggest environmental concerns, both globally and locally, only 10% of Australians take their plastic waste for recycling. Vert Design, an Australian design house and studio practice responded to this issue through Ocean Collection which was produced in collaboration with a local designer, Emma Swann by up-cycling marine debris collected from the ocean shores.

OCEAN COLLECTION

EMMA SWANN

Vert Design is a design studio that offers a range of services including collaboration with local designers to produce products that lasts and with limited environmental impact. This organisation has been independently responding to marine pollution for years and has experimented with low-pressure injection moulding which uses salvaged plastic waste to create new products; another of their other projects are injection moulded frames for glasses using waste plastic. In collaboration with Emma Swann and her local jewellery label Recreational Studio, they created ‘meaningful & timeless mens cuff design’ that is made from marine debris. Each cuff is comprised with inherent assortment of various polymer types and was shaped through low-pressure injection moulding that over-moulds the machine-cut brass.

OCEAN COLLECTION PACKAGING

Stemming from the waste-reversal aspect of the actual product, they decided to extend this to the packaging through utilising paper-pulp moulding. The final packaging design explored a wide range of processes and experimentations including the development of a system that could produce batches of pulp-formings using recovered junk paper. Both the packaging and the product effectively embodies the ideology of the brands which is minimal and displays environmental awareness. Vert and Emma evidently considered every small detail, from product production to the ink used for the packaging in order to further reflect the forefront principle of the project.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — OCEAN COLLECTION, VERT DESIGN x EMMA SWANN

Ocean Collection is the product of an interdisciplinary initiative that successfully addresses and responds to an environmental issue. Both Vert Design and Emma Swann are independent organisations who inspires to generate durable products that would last over time with the smallest environmental impact. This design initiative naturally inspires and instil a sense of awareness and responsibility to the environment therefore contributing to the gradual rectification of the addressed issue.