Emeco | Broom Chair

Dimensions:

480W x 500H x 830H x 430SH mm

"Most industrial manufacturing uses a lot of energy and raw materials and creates a lot of waste. Much of that waste is simply thrown away. Some of it is recycled, but that uses energy too. We think that’s a terrible shame, so we’ve developed a new material that sweeps up this industrial waste and turns it into something strong, smart, and beautiful."

Imagine, says Philippe Starck, ‘a guy who takes a humble broom and starts to clean the workshop, and with this dust he makes new magic.’ That’s why we’ve called it the Broom chair.

Emeco is proud to have collaborated with many of the world’s greatest designers, architects and brands over the years, but perhaps their most long-standing partnership is with the French designer Philippe Starck.
Starck and Emeco began working together fourteen years ago to create beautiful chairs made from recycled aluminum, designed to last 150 years or more. ‘Working with Emeco has allowed me to make chairs you never own,’ says Starck. ‘You just use them for a while until it is the next person’s turn. A great chair never should have to be recycled: it’s made for life.’

Emeco has used environmentally sound materials in all its products since the 1940s. It’s a philosophy that governs everything they do – avoiding waste, and making beautiful things that last and last.

MATERIAL INTELLIGENCE

Emeco's mission with the Broom chair was to create a product that not only prevented waste from going to the landfill, but actually turned waste into something handsome and useful. The Broom chair is made of a new composite of discarded industrial materials, reclaimed even before they enter the long waste–cycle that most recycled materials have to undergo today. By reclaiming the waste in its purest form they save natural resources and reduce energy at the same time. Emeco and Philippe Starck have together created a new chair that literally sweeps up the waste from the industrial manufacturing cycle.

The Broom chair is made of 75% reclaimed polypropylene, 15% reclaimed wood fibres and 10% glass fibre. Reclaimed polypropylene is an industrial waste material from plastic production, while the reclaimed wood fibre is left over from lumber manufacture. The two materials are combined to create a wood-polypropylene composite called WPP. This is then injected with gas during the molding process, creating a hollow yet incredibly strong structure.

By using reclaimed waste instead of raw materials we reduce waste and use less energy. So the Broom chair is made with a minimal impact on the environment: it’s reclaimed, repurposed and recyclable – and it’s also designed to last.