After 10 years of working in #circularity, I have put together a list featuring 100 people and organizations, who I think you should follow. The list is being released across 25 posts until Christmas. I therefore like to think of it as an unconventional #zerowaste alternative to an advent calendar — packed with little stories and wisdoms as we close out this year.

In this ninth post, I am focusing on people and organizations using circular materials in furniture and #interiors. Here are three innovative teams and one trailblazing woman working in this space, who I think you should look into and follow.

33) Arthur Huang and Jarvis Liu are the co-founders of MINIWIZ. They both studied architecture and are now working to push for closed-loop economies. Miniwiz specializes in upcycling consumer and industrial waste to create consumer goods, interiors, and factory campuses. Amongst others, Miniwiz is known for turning apparel, cigarette butts, and discarded plastics into sailing boats, store interiors, and even skyscrapers. The company also built the world’s first carbon-neutral building, namely Far East Huansheng Ark, using 1.5 million recycled PET bottles.

34) Bhakti Loonawat and Suyash Sawant started ANOMALIA. The two architects turn mushrooms into leather-like textiles, consoles, and modular blocks that can be assembled into tables, stools, and shelves. Their discomfort with the huge amounts of waste produced through the design and construction industries led them to create mycelium-based furniture that is grown using crop waste. Their mushroom furniture is a circular alternative to mass-produced MDF, laminate, and plastic furniture.

35) Hugo Silva and Joana Santos founded DAM. DAM produces furniture from Portuguese cork, building on the know-how and long heritage of this material in Portugal. Hugo and Joana “believe that life is too short to waste time on boring or disposable products”. They opted to use cork in a lot of the furniture they produce as it is renewable, easily recyclable, and has a comparatively low environmental impact. It is also dust and stain-repellent, anti-bacterial, washable, and waterproof by nature. To avoid excessive production and material use, DAM makes all its products to order.

36) Marije Remigius is an expert in using materials and energy efficiently in interior spaces. Throughout her work, she brings circular thinking into the way interiors are crafted and built. Amongst others, she has worked on the reuse and repurposing of materials, and on ways to reduce wood waste, in the interior design industry. Marije founded Inter Matter, Circu Leren, and Jutplaats. She also teaches interior designers, architects, and others how to transform the way they approach and think about interior design.

🔔 Stay tuned to to see the whole list of 100 people and organizations to follow unfold on LinkedIn, our blog, and our app.