From trash to stool: industrial designer gives plastic waste in Africa a second life

Millions of tonnes of waste end up in our environment every year. This problem is particularly tangible in the global south. But innovative approaches and creative solutions can make a difference. Johannes Kastner focuses on one such solution: combining plastic recycling and design to not only combat the waste problem but also create social added value.

In an interview with K-MAG, Johannes Kastner talks about his inspiring trip to Senegal, his newly developed manufacturing method for injection moulds and how local cooperation can contribute to global change.

Mr Kastner, in your diploma thesis you deal with "open plastic recycling in the global south". Why did you choose this topic?

Johannes Kastner: I got access to this topic through a collaboration with the Austrian company Plastic Preneur and the Kunsthochschule Kassel. My project partner Raphael Nyabale from the Kankuma Refugee Camp in Kenya told me about the problems with plastic waste in the global south. During my later trips to Senegal, I saw this with my own eyes, so that my diploma thesis took up this topic.

During your study trip to Senegal, you worked with local craftsmen and women as part of the "DesignUp" project. Can you tell us more about that?

Kastner: The "DesignUp" project provided a perfect platform for cooperation at eye level. Together with the craftspeople, I designed three stool models from different plastic waste and old construction steel. I think the diversity of the results from different design directions makes the project particularly meaningful. One of the stools is covered with a mesh made of PE drinking bags, which are lying around in huge masses in Senegal. The so-called sachets provide the cheapest source of drinking water in Senegal and something like that has to change.

How did you go about developing the furniture pieces?

Kastner: We use plastic connectors for the construction of the furniture, which combine different materials. In my studies I developed a new manufacturing method for injection moulding tools that enables us to produce injection moulded parts like the connectors in cost-effective small series. The other elements of the furniture are produced by craftsmen and women who bring the knowledge of their trade into the design process. The combination of handicraft production, injection moulding technology and great flexibility is a door opener for the African market.

You graduated from the Kunsthochschule Kassel with a major in industrial design. How did that influence your approach to this particular recycling project?

Kastner: Thanks to the Kunsthochschule Kassel, I was able to freely develop my manufacturing method and thus find the right path piece by piece. We have a diploma course in product design that allows you to study very freely. Apart from that, there has been a cooperation between the Kunsthochschule Kassel and the company Plastic Preneur for a few years now, without which I probably wouldn't have found access to this topic at all.

What challenges do you see specifically in Africa or the Global South, and how do you address them?

Kastner: I see it as the greatest challenge to create a successful transfer that combines new technologies, culture and humanity. Unfortunately, this is a difficult undertaking because the strong imprint of Western nations usually has a bitter aftertaste. The most important thing for me in my work is that the cooperation happens at eye level and that cultural realities are respected. The next step is to find the right people you can trust and to get support from companies and politicians. In my opinion, the foundation for sustainable development is only laid when something is initiated at the political level.

You will soon be travelling back to Senegal to realise your idea of a start-up. What is your plan look like? And what is your vision behind it?

Kastner: I would like to set up a recycling workshop in the Senegalese capital Dakar recycling workshop together with motivated people from my network. The idea is for this recycling workshop to become a self-sustaining and become a model project for the establishment of my start-up, which I will which I will be founding in Kassel next year. My start-up will be a social enterprise with a focus on setting up and running such local recycling workshops in the global South. We want to work with companies and research with companies and research institutions to accelerate our developments.