The Ahrend Remode is the most sustainable office chair yet—it is lightweight, modular, and made of recycled and recyclable materials. The chair’s structural seat components, backrest mechanism and the star base are manufactured from our Akulon® RePurposed, a versatile, high-performance polyamide, made from recycled fishing nets. The mechanical recyclate from ghost fishing nets closes Remode’s value chain designed for recycling and reduces CO2 emissions.
It all began with the question: "Can we produce an office chair that achieves optimum sustainability throughout the entire value chain of its manufacturing, is recyclable, weighs little and at the same time offers all the comfort needed for comfortable working?" The answer is yes, and the new Remode office chair from Royal Ahrend, a Dutch, globally active manufacturer of products for a vitalizing working environment, was produced.
Built according to circular design principles, the Ahrend Remode is the most sustainable office chair yet. The chair is lightweight, modular, and made of recycled and recyclable materials. The chair’s structural seat components, backrest mechanism and the star base are manufactured from Akulon® RePurposed, a versatile, high-performance polyamide, made from recycled fishing nets. The mechanical recyclate from ghost fishing nets closes Remode’s value chain designed for recycling and reduces CO2 emissions.
The chair weighs just 15 kilograms and more than two-thirds of its weight is attributed to Envalior’s 30% glass fiber-reinforced recyclate Akulon® RePurposed RE30, offering a superior mechanical property profile. Akulon® RePurposed RE30 contains a minimum of 62% recycled content, consisting of 50% ocean-bound plastic and 12% pre-consumer recycled content.
"By using this sustainable material, we can close the Remode value chain, which is designed for recycling, and reduce our CO2 emissions,” said Arnoud Vlieger, Head of Product Development at Ahrend. “In addition, the material enables a lightweight component solution with high material efficiency, which also contributes to lower CO2 emissions."
A special feature of the chair design is that almost all parts are plastic—the backrest, seat, cross-base, armrests and even the synchro-motion mechanism. The weight adjustment mechanism is quite complex, and it has not yet been implemented in plastic often.
Ahrend found that we are the best partner for the project because we can supply the appropriate, high-quality material—a strong, recycled, and recyclable plastic. One of the strengths of the recyclate, which is reinforced with 30% short glass fibers, is its superior mechanical property profile.
"Our material doesn't need to shy away from comparison with virgin material upon proper application,” explained Dr. Dannie van Osch, Business Development Manager of Specialties at Envalior. “Its stiffness, strength and toughness are so high that it could even be used to construct structural components of the seat, the backrest mechanism and the star base, which are subject to high static and dynamic loads. This has helped to make the Remode lighter."
A hallmark of all Ahrend furniture is its modular design, which allows the furniture to be repaired, extending its lifespan. At the same time, it is easier to disassemble the furniture, so that the raw materials can be recycled as part of a circular economy. "This cradle-to-cradle philosophy, together with the eco-design of our furniture, is the basis of our circular product design and was the reason we chose Akulon® RePurposed for our Remode chair," explained Vlieger.
We provided Ahrend and other project partners with comprehensive support during the development of the office chair. In addition to providing advice on the material choice, we also helped to determine the optimum processing parameters for injection molding the components from Akulon® RePurposed.
"We helped to set up a stable and material-friendly production process that enables efficient and economical manufacture with good surface quality of the plastic parts," said Van Osch.
Currently we collect and recycle more than 3,000 tons of polyamide 6 ghost fishing nets that accumulate in Indian coastal regions. The company works closely with local partners to this end. The nets are cleaned, sorted, shredded, mixed with post-industrial waste and extruded into Akulon® RePurposed regranulate.
"In this way, we protect the marine environment and additionally contribute to social welfare by creating jobs and strengthening the local economy," said van Osch.
Global Manager of Messaging and Content Development
Candace Roulo is Global Manager of Messaging and Content Development for Envalior. Based in Troy, Michigan, she specializes in writing blogs and articles about advanced materials solutions. Prior to joining Envalior, Candace served in editorial roles at SME and Penton Media. Candace earned her bachelor’s degree in communication, specializing in public relations, at Michigan State University’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
27 June 2024
