Furniture Art Installations Made out of Recycled Phone Cases | Casetify

FDT Bureau

Electronics accessory brand Casetify has initiated a series of public art installations in five cities globally, utilizing recycled phone cases as the primary material. These installations are part of Casetify’s 2024 Earth Month campaign, Journey to Re/Birth, which involves local artists from the US, South Korea, China, Australia and Thailand. These artists were tasked with creating art and design pieces using discarded phone cases collected through Casetify’s Re/Casetify upcycling programme. Know more about it on FURNITURE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (FDT).

The campaign aims to ensure that the end of any phone case marks the beginning of a new one, promoting a sustainable lifecycle for these accessories. In Brooklyn, New York, the design studio Wade and Leta crafted a table and stools for Devoción Cafe using plastic pellets derived from 12,000 recycled phone cases. The studio used a water-based plaster mixed with granulated plastic case pieces to create the texture, which was then painted in bright colours and sanded to highlight the unique character of the recycled materials. The vibrant design complements the rustic, earthy aesthetic of the cafe and aims to engage customers in sustainability conversations.

In Seoul, emerging artists Surin Kim, Dayoung Hwang and Youngmin Kang presented a large-scale outdoor installation at the Seoul Arts Center’s Music Square. Kim recreated a traditional Korean stone pagoda using raw cornstarch materials and recycled pellets. Hwang’s sculpture, inspired by seashells, symbolizes the union of people and nature, while Kang constructed a 4m tall giant chair.

In Bangkok, Casetify collaborated with the Tlejourn Shoes Project, a non-profit that creates shoe soles from ocean waste. Working with volunteers from Trash Hero, polymer scientists from Prince of Songkla University’s Pattani Campus, fashion designers and the local community, they transformed old phone cases into 500 pairs of limited-edition sandals, available at Casetify Studio stores. In Sydney, Australian furniture design studio Eva was commissioned to create a Re/Treat Sofa for the Casetify Studio Store, repurposing old phone cases as the structural base, resulting in a dynamically coloured piece.

Each artist involved was challenged to find innovative uses for the recycled pellets or entire discarded phone cases provided by the Re/Casetify program. The Re/Casetify programme encourages customers to donate their old phone and earbud cases at over 40 Casetify Studio Stores worldwide in exchange for store credit. These cases are shredded, separated into pellets and processed into recycled plastic for new accessories. Since the programme’s launch in 2021, Casetify has recycled over 84,000kg of plastic.

Additionally, Casetify recently opened a new store in Osaka, Japan, designed by Hong Kong-based interior designer Andre Fu. In London, local studio Hemingway Design created furniture from recycled clothes for the charity retailer Traid, further showcasing the brand's commitment to sustainability and innovative reuse of materials.

Image credit: Casetify