Why we are going completely local for Milan Design Week 2025
Last year, we challenged seven renowned designers to create appealing design objects made from 100% recycled post-consumer aluminium scrap. Now we’re going back-to-back and returning to Capsule Plaza in Milan with an even bigger challenge: Everything needs to be local, including harvesting the scrap, recycling, and the entire manufacturing.
This year we are challenging five world-class designers to bring five groundbreaking designs to life, all done within a 100 km radius – from locally sourced post-consumer scrap to finished design objects.
We talk about “farm to table” food. This is going to be “scrap farm to table” manufacturing.
Urban mining in practice
The project began with the harvesting of 52 tonnes of locally sourced aluminium scrap from discarded greenhouse frames and decommissioned light poles in the Netherlands in November 2024. It involves three Hydro plants and four external operations in the Benelux region. All are located within a 100 km radius, and the result is more than ninety percent less CO2 emissions coming from transportation.
Working with small manufacturing clusters is not unique to the R100 exhibition, but it is typical for how Hydro works with its customers, because it allows for full traceability of material, from aluminium scrap to final product.
Complete freedom of expression
We offered complete freedom to the five R100 designers – all blissfully unaware of the 100 km production radius when designing – with no limitations to extrusion press size, product size or product typology. And let me emphasize: These designers were selected for their distinct design expressions and complementary methodologies. And they showed up, as talented professionals do.
The designers are:
- Stefan Diez
- Cecilie Manz
- Sabine Marcelis
- Daniel Rybakken
- Keiji Takeuchi
Their collection of mono-material aluminium products varies from home decor objects to chairs and furniture components. They are unique, with the one exception, that each product was made from Hydro CIRCAL 100R recycled aluminium.
Lessons learned well
Norwegian designer Lars Beller Fjetland, who has again served as art director, told me he came up with the idea for this year’s show while working on our 100R exhibition in 2024.
He says he learned from last year’s exhibition that there were gains to be made by examining every tiny part of the product manufacturing chain with the same emission-obsessed mindset as Hydro approaches the material itself. With that in mind, we have made sure that all the aluminium components used in the exhibition design are also made from 100 percent recycled post-consumer scrap. Not just the design objects. It makes good sense, right?
