- Associated concept:
- Plastic
- Associated concept:
- Furniture
- Associated concept:
- Environment
- Associated object:
- AM/MoC/0001
- Location type:
- Thumbnail
- Dimension:
- Height
- Dimension measurement unit:
- cm
- Dimension value:
- 50
- Dimension:
- Height
- Dimension measurement unit:
- cm
- Dimension value:
- 29.5
- Dimension:
- Width
- Dimension measurement unit:
- cm
- Dimension value:
- 34
- Dimension:
- Depth
- Dimension measurement unit:
- cm
- Dimension value:
- 38
- Inscription content:
- ecoBirdy
Chair Charlie
Designed by VYDC
Made in Italy
- Inscription interpretation:
- Underside of seat, moulded
- Material:
- plastic
- Object history note:
- Purchased in 2018 [2018/655]
The choice of which colour chair to acquire was made after a conversation with the designers, who stated that ‘Off White’ and ‘Vanilla’ were most popular in Northern Europe, whereas ‘Strawberry’ and ‘Ocean’ were more popular in the South. It was felt that a yellow chair would be a good addition to a furniture collection which was predominantly red in colour.
- Object history note:
- Antwerp-based company ecoBirdy was founded by Vanessa Yuan and Joris Vanbriel. For their first collection, launched in January 2018, they produced a series of children’s furniture items (a chair, a table, a storage container and a lamp) all made from ecothylene, a material derived from recycled plastic children’s toys and household goods. Developing the collection involved not just designing the furniture itself, but creating an entire system for collecting and recycling toys. The resulting items are rotationally moulded in Italy. 'ecothylene' is made of 100% recycled plastic that, thanks to accurate sorting during the recycling process, makes it possible to create colourful items without adding any resin. It is completely free from any harmful substances and absolutely safe for the use of children.
The big idea behind ecoBirdy’s designs is to create a circular economy for plastic toys, introduce children to good design, and raise awareness of sustainability with children. Plastic toys are among the most intensive users of plastics among consumer goods, using on average fifteen times more plastic than food packaging. 90% of toys designed for babies and toddlers are plastic, but on average are used by a child for only four months. Most of them end up in landfill or incinerators. ecoBirdy wanted to create something useful for children over the age of four, whilst making sure that plastics already ‘spent’ on them in their early childhood would continue to be put to good use. ecoBirdy aim to collect and recycle 25,000kg of plastic toys by the end of 2018. At the time of writing they have achieved 55% of their target.
The resulting products are comfortable and attractive, with a rounded and ‘friendly’ appearance. Colour-sorting of the plastic is done using an infrared scanner, which also identifies any contamination. This part of the process results in two things: an attractive speckled appearance to the items, and no requirement to add pigments to the material for colouring.
ecoBirdy have produced a children’s book which explores plastics recycling and the ‘story’ of their products, as well as a programme of school visits to collect toys and speak with children about issues with the widespread use of plastics. As well as promoting awareness of recycling, the range aspires to discuss issues within the natural world. The storage box is shaped like a kiwi bird, the lamp like a rhinoceros. These animal-themed designs are intended to raise awareness of the plight of the represented species.
ecoBirdy have been recognised by the design community and have been awarded accolades by the Australian Good Design Award 2018 (winner in Product Design category) and the German Design Award 2019.
- Object name:
- Child's chair
- Object number:
- B.7-2018
- Object production date:
- 2018
- Date - association:
- manufactured
- Date - earliest / single:
- 2018-01-01
- Date - latest:
- 2018-12-31
- Object production organisation:
- ecoBirdy
- Organisation's association:
- manufacturers
- Object production place:
- Antwerp
- Place association:
- designed
- Object production place:
- Italy
- Place association:
- manufactured
- Object status:
- Mass produced
- Physical description:
- Child's chair, rotationally moulded from predominantly yellow-coloured recycled plastic fragments, giving it a speckled appearance. The chair has a rounded form, with sturdy legs, a broad seat and a low back. At the base of the back, where it meets the seat, there is a hole. The surface of the chair has a rough texture.
- Reproduction number:
- 2022ND5262
- Reproduction number:
- 2018LF5518
- Responsible department/section:
- YVA
- Technique:
- rotational moulding
- Technique:
- Rotationally-moulded 'ecothylene' (recycled plastics)
- Text reason:
- Collections online record
- Text:
- How ecoBirdy products are made
First, the designers get moulds made based on their models.
Then, the plastic scraps are sorted by colour and combined with another (secret) material that connects them together.
Finally, this mixture is poured in a mould, heated and cooled to form the chair. The visible colourful pieces remind users of where the materials come from.
3 Luisa table, Rhino lamp, Kiwi container
Designer and manufacturer: ecoBirdy
Date: Designed 2017, made 2018
Location: Belgium
Materials: Recycled plastic
Kindly given by ecoBirdy
4 Charlie chair
Designer and manufacturer: ecoBirdy
Date: Designed 2017, made 2018
Location: Belgium
Materials: Recycled plastic
Museum no. B.7-2018
[Young V&A, Design Gallery, Design changes materials we use, group object label]
- Text date:
- 01/07/2023
- Text reason:
- Gallery label text
- Text:
- Recycling children’s toys
What happens to abandoned and broken plastic toys? They often end up in landfill.
Vanessa Yuan and Joris Vanbriel founded design studio ecoBirdy to find ways of dealing with this. They came up with a system for recycling toys into striking furniture that retains and remixes their colourful origins.
[Young V&A, Design Gallery, Design changes materials we use, theme panel]
- Text date:
- 01/07/2023
- Text reason:
- Gallery label text
