BENTU Design Turns Discarded Shoe Soles into Stunning, Sustainable Furniture | WU Stools

FDT Bureau

The fashion industry, renowned for its bold designs and luxurious materials, faces a significant challenge regarding sustainability. Despite its glamour, many fashion materials and manufacturing processes are detrimental to the environment, particularly with mass-produced clothing, accessories and footwear. Even seemingly benign items like rubber shoe soles contribute to environmental harm when discarded carelessly. While such waste doesn't simply vanish, innovative solutions like artistic stools can mitigate the impact by repurposing these materials into functional, striking furniture. BENTU Design has tackled this issue with their WU line of stools, transforming discarded rubber shoe soles into new, visually compelling pieces. Know more about it on FURNITURE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (FDT).

Annually, around 20 billion pairs of shoes are produced, most of which eventually end up in landfills. These shoes, constructed from multiple synthetic materials, often contain rubber outsoles that take over a century to decompose. Incinerating them, though sometimes necessary, releases harmful gases. Recycling, despite its resource consumption, presents a far better alternative.

WU stools address this waste problem by using 90 per cent recycled rubber shoe material—about 15kg per stool, equivalent to 60 rubber soles. Although this is a small fraction of the global footwear waste, creating just ten stools diverts 600 shoes from landfills. The stools’ design is both unique and visually appealing, featuring classified colours and varied textures that resemble fine, grainy patterns. Their distinctive shape includes a hexagon seat and a three-pointed base, allowing for interesting arrangements, like makeshift benches.

When grouped, these stools create a striking visual effect, resembling a mosaic filter applied to reality. Importantly, they offer a subtle reminder of their origins, giving a new lease on life to materials that would otherwise contribute to environmental degradation.

Image credit: BENTU Design