Aluminium chairs from 80% recycled material to last for 150 years

The Story

Emeco is a leader when it comes to chair fabrication. They use post consumer and post industrial waste to create chairs intended to last 150 years.

Minimizing their impact on the environment include actions like;

• choosing materials, methods and processes that offer the least risk to our environment. Using 80% recycled Aluminum (55% recycled aluminum is standard in trade mix aluminum since secondary aluminum is a common ingredient in aluminum) Of the recycled aluminum, half is post consumer (soft drink cans) and half is postindustrial (manufacturing scrap). Chairs made out of virgin aluminum have an energy density that is 17 times higher.
• utilize the best available control technologies to reduce air emissions where needed,
• recycling waste and used materials at every opportunity,
• eliminating other impacts to the environment, such as releases to surface water,
• and reducing the carbon footprint of our products to minimum achievable levels. For one by the robustness and durability of their chairs
• improve the energy efficiency and use electricity from renewable resources.
  Selected initiatives supporting our policy:

Emeco’s products are manufactured in the US:

• Using clear coat anodizing as the surface finishing method for most of the products. This not only significantly reduces particulate emissions, but also produces no volatile organic carbons (VOCs) in the application of the finish.
• All welding machines have internal cooling systems to reduce water consumption by 15%
• Advanced lighting technologies are installed throughout our manufacturing operations resulting in a 24% annual reduction in electrical consumption rate.
• Aluminum scrap generation-rate is approx. 6% annually by weight. 100% of aluminum scrap is returned to recyclers.
• Their all-aluminum and rPET chairs are 100% recyclable.
• Their 111 Navy Chair contains 65% rPET plastic.
• 100% of the PET used comes from a post consumer recycled source.
• Whenever possible, Emeco uses sustainable timber and water based stain finishes on our wood components.

No product can be LEED™ Certified; certification is only granted to the entire building or interior. A project is LEED™ Certified by qualifying for credits that accrue when environmentally sound choices are made in the design and building process. Product choices can help the project qualify for LEED™ Certification by being environmentally sound. Some jurisdictions require new construction to have a minimum number of LEED™ Credits.

In general aluminum chairs can contribute;

• to credit #2.1, Construction waste if using 100% recyclable shipping and packing materials.
• to credit #4.2, Recycled Content when made ofrecycled material.
• to credit #5.1, Regionally Manufactured Materials when shipped projects within 500 miles of production, if the recycled material is also sourced locally this adds also a point

Images

Icon barstool

Emeco stool

Icon chair

20-06

Icon barstool

by Philipe Starck