enkei turns construction waste into lighting sculpture for stockholm design week 2024

enkei addresses waste in the construction industry

Swedish startup Enkei is landing at Stockholm Design Week 2024 with its innovative approach to sustainability in design. Specializing in transforming waste materials into aesthetically pleasing and functional pieces, like a lamp, Enkei’s mission is to address the construction industry’s waste and pollution challenges via objects referred to as: Circular aesthetics, everyday reminders. ‘Our mission is to inspire conscious choices, believing in the possibility of another world that challenges today’s linear systems and unsustainable consumption patterns,’ shares Lovisa Sunnerholm, Co-Founder & CEO at Enkei. 

from scraps and wires to the Reminder (001) table lamp

For Stockholm Design Week 2024 (see more here), the Enkei duo is launching the Reminder (001) table lamp, crafted in Scandinavia with a majority repurported waste. The product incorporates a movable textile shade from high-end fashion deadstock, scrap-based wire, recycled bio-plastics, and 3D-printed fossil-free steel. Inspired by construction sites, art, and nature, the table lamp’s two contrasting geometric forms blur the line between art and funtion, while its quality and design are meant to stand the test of time. Reminder (001) will be publicly revealed during the fair, commencing February 5, and a waiting list is now opened at the company’s website. A limited edition with numbered pieces is already available by inquiries and at Nordiska Kompaniet in Stockholm. 

using ReCeramixTM as a sustainable concrete alternative

Incorporated into the lamp design is ReCeramixTM  — a new material innovation and substitute for traditional concrete, developed by Enkei. Not only does it significantly reduce cement usage – a major contributor to CO2 emissions, but it also keeps valuable resources in use. Instead of conventional sand, the startup opts for ceramic waste from construction sites, tackling the issues associated with both sand mining and improper ceramic waste disposal. This circular approach not only decreases environmental impact but also helps prevent potential soil and groundwater contamination, offering a comprehensive solution to waste reduction and landfill overflow.

circularity at stockholm design week 2024

Reflecting on the process of circularity and the startup’s mission, Enkei co-founder Miriam Bichsel concludes with the following: ‘Sweden is a country that performs worse than the global average when it comes to circularity which made us want to fast forward the development, starting in an industry that is light years from circular – the lighting sector. We aim to transform the industry by making sustainable options more desirable, using branding influenced by fashion and art, where aesthetics serve as a means for change.’

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project info:

name: Reminder (001) table lamp

designer: Enkei | @enkeiofficial

founding duo: Lovisa Sunnerholm, Miriam Bichsel

material: ReCeramixTM

program: Stockholm Design Week 2024 | @stockholmdesignweek