Plumen collaborate on lamp made from recycled plastic

3D printing company, Batch.works has partnered with Plumen on a range of five 3D-printed lampshades, made using plastic recycled from water bottles, fridges and other sources of plastic pollution.

The first two shades in the collection have just been released – with more to follow in 2020 – and will be available for purchase from both the Plumen.com and Batch.works online stores.

Every shade is fully recyclable, as part of Batch.works’ and Plumen’s commitment to reducing and re-using plastic. They are printed using a filament supplied by Amsterdam social enterprise Reflow, which recycles and repurposes plastics that would either be sent to landfill or incinerated.

Each shade is printed on demand, lowering the amount of waste produced, and can be returned to Batch.works for recycling at the end of its lifespan.

See the best brands for recycled homewares.

Neo is based on the geometric forms of the Art Deco era, taking familiar, historic shapes and casting them in a new role using 3D printing. Two shades stack on top of one another to fit and frame the Plumen E27 pendant. Due to the shade’s two-partedness, several colour combinations are possible.

Ribbon makes the most of the possibilities of 3D printing, featuring a fluid surface that bends over itself to surround and protect the Wilma bulb. Light peeks through the shade’s open space, allowing the iconic bulb to be seen from another angle.

“When we first met Batch.works, it seemed like the perfect match,” says Plumen co-founder Michael-George Hemus. “We’re both small businesses with a similar ethos and approach to things. The fact that you can use recycled plastics and they can then be industrially biodegraded or reused again is really fascinating to me, and plays into the circular economy - which we are trying to put into practice everywhere we can.

“To Plumen, 3D-printing is a very exciting opportunity for lighting. 3D-printing allows shapes and forms that are not possible otherwise. More importantly, there is very little waste compared to traditional methods - products are made to order, from recycled plastic bottles and at the end of their lives they can be recycled once again. It’s a sustainable vision for the future.”

Batch.works has partnered with five different design studios to create the collection, which is inspired by everything from the Bauhaus to the geometric forms of the Art Deco era, and is available in two colours at the launch: black and white. Custom colours are available on request.

Neo by Matthias Lauche and Ribbon by Bold are the first two shades to be released, with more designs to join the collection next year. Every single shade will be printed at Batch.works’ east London headquarters, as part of its commitment to local manufacturing.

See this classic Danish design made with recycled ocean plastic.