A plastic bottle that would otherwise be waste. What if this material would be recycled and woven into a rug? The designer duo Mifuko created the soft Turkana rug for us, which is made from PET material from recycled bottles.
In the textile industry the materials we use play a significant role to the world’s resources. One of our choices into a more sustainable life is to take advantage of already existing materials. It’s very natural for us, since we have used recycled cotton in our rug from the very beginning of our family company. However, we are constantly seeking for new ecological alternatives, and that is why we decided to weave a rug from recycled bottles.
As a result, Turkana saw daylight.
The warps of Turkana are cotton, but otherwise – which means about 95 % – the rug is woven from PET material made of recycled plastic bottles.
PET stands for Polyethylene Terephthalate, the material of which plastic bottles are made of. This material is both strong and lightweight, but also 100 % recyclable. Recycled PET is made in a process where the bottles are crushed into small bits and then reformed into yarn.
What seems a little surprising is the feel of the rug: Turkana is a very soft rug, like it would be made of wool. Yet the material is still recycled plastic, the rug has the good attributes of plastic – the strenght and the flexibility. Turkana can also be used in wet spaces and outdoors, as long as it’s taken care of that no excess water would stand still on it.
Turkana is designed by the design company Mifuko, know for their ethical and ecological products such as Kiondo baskets. Besides Turkana, Mifuko has designer the kelim rugs Mombasa and Nakuru for us.
Turkana was inspired by a beautiful place in northern Kenya. Turkana is actually a lake in the midst of a desert, loved by birds.
Turkana is available is four different sizes: 80×150, 100×200, 140×200 and 160×230 cm.