A world without plastic: seaweed to home-grown food among the solutions at Hong Kong design exhibition
- The coronavirus pandemic has led to a huge increase in single-use plastic, as convenience takes precedence over ecology
- A design exhibition, Design Does – For better and for worse, is offering some possible solutions
Just when consumers were finally getting the message about reducing waste, Covid-19 washed up a tsunami of single-use plastic.
Local NGO Greeners Action has estimated that during the pandemic, in Hong Kong alone, more than 100 million pieces of single-use plastics have been disposed of every week – double the amount from a year earlier.
It is timely, then, that the question “Can we live in a world without plastic?” has been posed at Hong Kong Design Institute’s (HKDI) current exhibition, “Design Does* – For better and for worse”.
Held at HKDI Gallery in Tseung Kwan O, following a stint at the Design Museum of Barcelona, the exhibition explores how design tackles the challenges faced by society – including sustainability, connectivity, marginalisation, consumerism, innovation and new materials – while showcasing eight projects conceived by designers from around the world.
Addressing the problem of plastic pollution, UK start-up Notpla (formerly Skipping Rocks Lab) presents non-polluting alternatives such as Ooho, an edible, biodegradable packaging made from seaweed. After launching with water bottles and sauce sachets, the founders are working on packaging for cosmetics and toiletries, and have recently developed a seaweed coating to make paperboard takeaway food boxes waterproof and oil-resistant.