[PRESS RELEASE] Recycled PlayStation®2 chair is a UK first

What: Product launch of chair made from recycled computer games consoles; first to use 100% recycled plastic from a single source
When: Wednesday 10th September 2008, 6.30 pm to 9 pm
Where: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, 10 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7LP
Contact: To attend contact Christopher Pett, Pli Design Ltd, telephone 020 8670 6857, email office@plidesign.co.uk; website www.plidesign.co.uk

British-made chair, using 100% recycled PlayStation®2 consoles, to be launched in London on 10 September.

London, 1 September 2008, London-based Pli Design Ltd (www.plidesign.co.uk) will be launching its latest eco-friendly product, a chair made from 100% recycled games consoles, on Wednesday 10 September at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s head office in London.

The British manufactured ‘Reee® chair’ has a plastic seat and back made entirely from recycled PlayStation®2 computer games consoles*. With 100% of the plastic coming from a single source of recycled consumer products, the chair is the first of its kind in the country.

Each chair uses 2.4 kg of recycled plastic and the chair parts are designed to be recycled again and again. Unlike most recycled plastics, which are usually made from a variety of recycled sources, the plastic in the chair is 100% computer games console. The chair is also completely sourced and manufactured in the UK.

In an era of increasingly expensive raw materials and growing concerns about the carbon footprints of new products, the chair is a breath of fresh air. Recycled plastic requires a fraction of the energy to produce, compared with ‘virgin’ plastic that comes straight from the oil barrel. UK-sourced materials and manufacturing means the chair travels a fraction of the distance from factory to customer, compared to a chair made in Asia.

All these factors are important for buyers who are putting environmental responsibility and sustainability on their list of ‘must haves’ when choosing new furniture. Alex Whitney, Pli’s Design Manager, said, “The simple idea behind the Reee® chair is to produce a recycled furniture product in the UK that has style, function and durability but does not compromise its environmental credentials — so our customers don’t have to compromise theirs.”

The Reee chair was conceived at the Eden Project in Cornwall where Pli’s staff were discussing the possibilities for reusing high-quality plastic from waste electronics products with other manufacturers, including Sony Computer Entertainment, at the annual Eden Project suppliers conference. The idea to produce a quality chair for contract, education and domestic markets was born and Pli brought in Sprout Design, a specialist sustainable design consultancy, to develop the concept into a finished product. With funding from London Remade, the London Development Agency’s waste and recycling initiative, Pli developed the original prototype into a production-ready model and the Reee chair went into full-scale production in July.

Pli’s Director, Christopher Pett, commented “The Reee® chair does not put a premium on the cost of sustainable living: it is priced competitively with other domestic and contract seating designs in the UK market. Pli’s mission is to prove that sustainable businesses in the UK can compete on price and quality with imported products.”

The Reee® chair will go on sale at the Eden Project’s visitor shop in Cornwall and through selected retailers and contract suppliers across the country in September. The Reee® chair will also be available to buy at Selfridges on London’s Oxford Street for the duration of the London Design Festival, in the Designersblock pop-up shop located on the 4th floor from Wednesday 10 September to Tuesday 23 September.

Notes for editors

The European Communities WEEE Directive

The games consoles are collected and reprocessed under the EC Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. The WEEE Directive entered into force in the UK on 2 January 2007 with full producer responsibility from 1 July 2007. It requires electronics manufacturers to take responsibility for the recycling of their products at end-of-life. The plastic seat and back parts of the Reee® chair are made from 100% recycled plastic derived from a single source of WEEE products.

The Reee Chair launch

Design and interiors journalists who want to attend the launch of the Reee® chair at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, 10 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7LP on Wednesday 10 September from 6.30 to 9 pm should contact Pli on 020 8670 6857 or email office@plidesign.co.uk

About Pli

Pli designs and manufactures contemporary furniture. Pli’s workshop is in London, UK. Established in 2003, Pli’s aim is to supply high quality and environmentally sustainable furniture to homes, offices and public buildings. Pli develops new, exciting designs and sources the best environmentally sustainable materials available.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.

“Reee” is a registered trademark of Sprout Design Ltd and Pli Design Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pli Design Ltd
Unit D15, 62 Tritton Road, London SE21 8DE
tel +44 (0)20 8670 6857
christopher@plidesign.co.uk
www.plidesign.co.uk
Contact: Christopher Pett

Facebook guest list: http://www.new.facebook.com/event.php?eid=39130427912