SLAM! WhatMatter_s 2.0

SLAM! (Swedish for sludge) is a concept that transforms wastewater sludge from the cider factory Kiviks Musteri, into bioplastics. This project started with What matter_s 2.0; a group of designers paired with manufacturing companies based in southern Sweden, with the task of developing new sustainable materials from their industrial waste. Henriksson & Lindgren chose to focus on their waste water sludge which is a big challenge , very wet and extremely smelly.  After experimenting we found that from this sludge it is possible to produce a biopolymer; PHA. This specific polymer type is called PHBV and is unlike most bioplastics completely biodegradable. With Kivik’s apple orchards in mind the collection consists of cultivation objects, like pots and plant clips. The products are designed to be treasured and used over and over, but if they break or disappear outdoors, there is no harm done. This closed-loop system starts as a fruit on the orchards, passes through the stages of juice, sludge, bioplastics and lastly soil  — apples to apples. 

Featured in Dezeen magazine

Nominated for the Rossana Orlandi Guiltless plastic award, exhibited during Milan Design week 2021.

Nominated for the Beyond plastic award

Exhibited in Metabolic processes for leftovers at Form/Design center 2021

Project movie about the project Whay matter_s 2.0. See SLAM! 14 min in!

Wastewater sludge is produced in enormous amounts, it’s a type of biomass that is usually deposited. PHA is produced from renewable biomass, most often from an agricultural source grown solely for that purpose, like corn or sugar cane. This makes it an expensive kind of plastic, and less sustainable when produced that way. We simply connect the dots between wastewater sludge and biomass and show a concept of using the sludge as source.

The design proposal is connected to the raw material’s. Inspired by the origin of the waste, the products are related to agriculture or gardening: planting pots, trellis systems and plant clips. As the sludge plastic is both biodegradable and durable, products with a longer life cycle than single-use.