Thursday, December 13, 2007

zelfo, a plant-based answer to plastic?

zelfo_chair_1.gifzelfo_guitars.gifzelfo_bowls.gifzelfo_light.gif
mada_blackgtr_1.jpg A greener economy is going to require products made of more eco-friendly materials than landfill-bloating plastic. From the Australian company, Zelfo, here’s an ultra-sustainable, strong, biodegradable material that is made solely from plant fibres and plant-based materials, contains no glues or harmful resins and is manufactured using solar energy and bio-fuels. Also the name of the new eco material, Zelfo is reputed to be water-resistant, stronger than stone and suitable for the production of a wide array of products that have curved or rounded edges. Manufacturing is almost waste-free.

The Mada Caimes semi-acoustic guitar pictured on the right, is made of Hempstone (another name for Zelfo), isn’t carved or milled like a traditional guitar and thus is one form, with no lining or bracing. (Since the guitar is a limited-run, early edition, don’t ask the price.)

The creators of Zelfo are looking for designers interested in working with the material. They now sell a limited number of home decor, lighting and musical instruments on their website. Pictured above are a few images of products that have already been created by designers using the material.
more info @ zelfoshop.com or zelfoaustralia.com

There is 1 comment.

  1. commentsglimpse67 Jan 26, 2008

    Thanks for the news - sounds like a cool product. I’ve been following a product from Australian based Plantic. The company site is -
    http://www.plantic.com.au/
    I don’t remember where I first heard about it but here is a treehugger blurb on the product -
    http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/10/plantic_making.php
    – Sounds like a similar product.

Leave a comment.


back to top