How to protect our planet from microplastics pollution and reduce our footprint ?
The resilient sponge is a natural, reusable, washable and sustainable hemp kitchen sponge, produce in short circuit and created in collaboration with its users.
Several sponges have been produced, tested and improved in order to correspond as much as possible to the users’ needs.
Handmade researches for The resilient sponge nominated for Green Product Award – Green Selection 2020.We were driven by the desire to make a 100% natural, biodegradable and ecological sponge, produced in short circuit, that would be both beautiful and solid. We chose to work with hemp to make the sponge, and are currently collaborating with a Belgian company to produce and market the sponge.
We are committed to producing a European hemp sponge in Belgium and our hope is to see the birth of a wet hemp spinning mill in Belgium in order to provide the most local product possible and enhance the production and use of this high-quality fibre which can make a positive contribution in the current environmental crisis we are facing.
Why is it really ecological ?
Hemp fibre is transformed by natural (retting) and mechanical processes, unlike artificial or synthetics fibres which require chemical transformations, often petrochemical, lots of energy and are not always biodegradable.
«In a single washing cycle, purely synthetic textiles lose up to 730,000 microfibers, finds a study from Plymouth University in Britain.»
Source : Greenpeace – Les microplastiques: particules cosmétiques et fibres textiles
Our sponge is solid and releases no polluting particles or synthetic fibres into the water. It is washable and can therefore be reused over and over. Its lifespan is currently being evaluated, and the first tests have already proven a longer lifespan than conventional sponges.
«Every second, 100 tonnes of waste (out of the 4 billion produced annually) end up in the sea, a large part of which is made of plastic. Some do not hesitate to speak of “seventh continent”. Whether floating objects or microparticles, such waste is deposited on beaches, dispersed at sea, and ends up on the seabed.»
Source : Futura Science – Les déchets plastique dans les océans
At the end of its lifespan, the sponge can either be recycled or composted. Since it is made of a single material, this greatly facilitates recycling in industry.
In addition, growing hemp does not require irrigation, herbicides or pesticides. Its rapid growth makes it possible to remove weeds from the fields and thus prepare the ground for a cereal crop without spraying herbicides beforehand.
This work won the Wallonie-Bruxelles Design Mode award and the Audience Award at the 2019 BeCraft Tremplin competition.
With the support of
