Creative recycling
What if the paper was not ephemeral, light and delicate, destined to buckle at the first drop of water or to yield at the first tear? What if it wasn’t just for writing, drawing and taking notes?
What if paper could be spun and become fabric and texture in our hands? Or what if we were able to shape and sculpt it as if it was stone, terracotta, marble, to create statues or real design accessories? What if it could be transformed into solid and lasting objects, to be worn like a jewel or used daily, like a lamp, for example?
And if all this could be done, then surely it is even better with recycled paper, salvaged pieces, cut trimmings, scraps and leftovers, in an ecological enhancement that smacks of respect for man and the planet?
Favini has always worked in this direction: there are many actions of attention to ecology and the environment that we have been implementing for over a decade now.
Here are some concrete examples:
We produce a part of our energy thanks to a hydroelectric plant and cogeneration plants
We use only high-efficiency lights to minimize energy consumption
We have joined an international project to safeguard the forests of Madagascar, with which we support the economic and ecological development of the local community
We are committed to the production of eco-friendly papers: Our Remake and Crush lines are created through the recycling of waste from agri-food processing, leather and even seaweed from the Venice Lagoon. From here originates our well-known Reborn notebooks, a splendid example of how ecological responsibility can go hand in hand with the undeniable beauty and elegance of a finished product, making a win-win strategy
We reuse the pre-consumer waste that is formed during processing, to reduce as much as possible the use of virgin raw material We work to reduce as much as possible consumption and therefore our energy footprint, the mark we leave on the planet.We reject the exploitation of virgin forests in which the cutting of plants is not allowed and we do not use any type of supply chain that involves the exploitation of workers We avoid using chemicals that are harmful to the environment and to the health of workersWe have brought to zero the use of chemicals for bleaching and tinting paper, which contain carbon-black, formaldehyde, chlorine or ammonia It goes without saying that we have tried to carry this philosophy too in our events and in the most creative forms of our work.
For years we have been interacting with paper artists and we are still enchanted by the magic and wonder that their hands are able to create every time: Giving three-dimensionality to a sheet, transforming it from a writing support to a real piece of furniture, house decorations, sculptures or jewels. And all of this with always an eye to the type of material chosen, with a view to circular economy and creative reuse that fits perfectly with the philosophy of our company.
We had the pleasure of collaborating with two splendid producers that have made their business from artistic recovery: Cartalana is a jewellery brand with an eco-friendly soul that has applied the art of spinning from fabric to paper in an exemplary fashion. ReMida, on the other hand, belongs to the Centre for the Creative Reuse of Corporate Waste Materials, an experience devoted to the recovery of everything that our consumerist world deems inconvenient and throws away without a second thought. To all of this ReMida breathes a new life.
We were fascinated by the creations initiated from our trimmings.
Guests in our spaces, have given us moments of amazement and admiration, showing in practice the real possibilities of recycling and reusing waste materials. The leftovers from the paper cutting phase, those extra slithers that anyone else would have seen as useless and superfluous, in the hands of these artists they acquired a new life and a new status, that of a physical, original and decorative object.
So, whether you start from strips of paper or production waste, the substance remains the same.
On one hand, we have an everyday and well-known material, with its own intrinsic and original value and use, which has a possibility to turn into something new and unexpected. Textures change, the perception we have always had of something familiar like paper is transformed, we learn to break out of the box and use lateral thinking, to see another dimension where once before had only existed a flat sheet.
On the other hand, there are the unexpected, unstructured leftover products, without a direct association to specific use, which in fact for this very reason makes them well suited to take on new functions. The advantages, as well as creative, are many: imagination and lateral thinking is favoured, to nurture talent and create beauty where it had not been found previously, we gradually learn that such a sensitivity can be extended and be valid as an approach to the world in general.
In both cases, we develop the ability to recognize the useful and the new even from something that once was considered left over, or useless, which had once created unnecessary clutter and disorder.
Creativity education goes hand in hand with material recycling education, from an ecological and planet-friendly perspective: an indisputable added value discovery for each creation made.
