Brave new world – how design makes the plastics industry more sustainable

When the first plastic was developed 150 years ago, it was a miracle for people at the time. In the middle of the 20th century, the material contributed significantly to the economic miracle of the post-war period. Today, in view of the climate crisis, little is left of this image. In its exhibition "Plastic. Remaking Our World", the Vitra Design Museum wants to show how plastic can contribute to solving problems.

In an interview with K-MAG, Jochen Eisenbrand talks about how the exhibition is structured, what role design plays in solving environmental problems, and what he thinks about a world without plastic.

What does the title of your new exhibition "Plastic. Remaking Our World"?

Jochen Eisenbrand: The title of the exhibition points out that the world has changed a lot because of plastics. People are now even talking about the age of the Plastocene, in reference to the Anthropocene, because plastics are simply everywhere – even in places where we don't even want them. So the title is also a call to action. We need to re-evaluate and change the way we use plastics. And we need to understand plastics as materials that should be part of a cycle, not just used once.

What can you see in the exhibition? To what extent do you want to use it to change the image of plastics in society?

Eisenbrand: The exhibition is divided into three parts. First, there is an introduction in the form of a film installation by Asif Khan, who is also responsible for the exhibition design. Since you're in a room here with screens on both sides, it's a really immersive experience. In the film, the 200 million years it took to extract fossil fuels like oil are juxtaposed with the 150 years it took to develop plastics.

The second part is devoted to the history of plastics. The plastics that were developed at that time were the first man-made material – a miracle in those days. In this context, we also show a map entitled "Synthetica", which appeared in the American Fortune Magazine in 1940. On it, you can see a continent made up of countries that all have synthetic names. That's how it was perceived at the time: like a new continent with a lot to discover. We would like to convey this amazement, this enthusiasm and also the great thing about it in the exhibition as well.

In the third, contemporary part, we will look at various approaches to solutions: mechanical and chemical recycling, reinventing the material on the basis of renewable raw materials, biodegradable plastics and, of course, systemic considerations relating to circular economy, such as the deposit system. Here we also have an interactive element in the form of machines from the Precious Plastic network, where visitors can experience how plastic waste is recycled.

BASF, a major chemical company, is one of your sponsors. Why do you think this is an important collaboration?

Eisenbrand: It's obvious: When you think about solutions today and how we can change our relationship with plastics and end the waste crisis, you can only do that if industry gets involved. That's why we think it's very important to stay in dialogue. On the one hand – and this is also shown in the exhibition – there are many start-ups and designers who experiment in their studios and develop innovative and visionary projects. But ultimately, these ideas and research results can only be implemented in concrete terms if they are adopted by industry. That's why it's important to be in conversation with each other.

You have just mentioned designers. What role do they play in solving problems?

Eisenbrand: Designers have always played a mediating role between industry and consumers. In the period after World War II, when new plastics were being developed all the time, they showed what was possible with the material.

In the past, designers fulfilled a purely form-giving, creative function. Nowadays, they consider the entire life cycle of a product. They have to think not only about where the material they use comes from, but also about what happens to it afterwards. Can the material be biodegraded at the end or can it be returned to the economic cycle? That's a big challenge for designers because they have to think in a much broader context than before.

But we also observe that many young design studios are interested in exactly that. They think there's no need for the umpteenth new chair or the umpteenth new cell phone. Because it's all there already – and actually too much of it. For many, it's more interesting to think more fundamentally. Materials research is a very important topic in contemporary design, also with regard to plastics.

A brief concluding question: A world entirely without plastics – is that possible or sensible in your opinion?

Eisenbrand: No, it's not possible and it doesn't make sense. Plastic is a great material with which we can do things that are not possible with other materials. But we really have to rethink the way we deal with plastics – and this is where the title of our exhibition makes the crucial point. We need to see them more as valuable materials and use them more sustainably.