Mulling what to do with a heap of old newspapers littering their Seattle apartment, Graypants founders Jonathan Junker and Seth Grizzle decided to sit on it. Literally. Since their first foray into crafting Scrap Chairs from dumped corrugated cardboard, these boys have salvaged plywood scraps, plastic freight pallet slip sheets, and yes, newsprint, molding them into a series of seats cast from a slightly slumped papier-mâché model. graypants.com
2. ELEGAN T WASTE
With help from her students, Rio de Janeiro-based artist Mana Bernardes transforms discarded plastic, perfume vials, and PET bottles into works of wearable art. Bamboo toothpicks, tipped with pearls and strung from nylon, become a luxe necklace; a wire mesh sleeve morphs into a stylish bracelet with touches of tiny Swarovski crystals. mana.cx
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3. ECO-BOWL
Interstate 287 wasn’t around in the 1950s, but that doesn’t mean New York’s vintage road maps are useless. Pica Pica designer Liz Grotyohann collects them from antique stores and yard sales to line decorative paper bowls she crafts from junk mail, brown bags, and packing material. She recently switched to no-VOC soy “acrylic” to seal each bowl’s interior. picapicadesign.net
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4. NATURAL LOOP
Inspired by our cyclical connections with nature and each other, Philadelphia artist Elissa Barbieri founded Loop LLC, a one-woman sustainable stationery company. Barbieri’s organic, flowing drawings and paintings come printed on 100% post-consumer recycled or kraft paper notecard, using only soy-based inks. Loop is also home to subsidiary Doodlespark, a collaborative card series designed by Barbieri and her mother. welcometoloop.com
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