PRODUCT INFO
Biodegradable Milk-protein Based Solid Biomaterial
Overconsumption and the still existing linear economic principle led to the research and development of this eco-themed project. Based on the prevailing principle of the linear economy (take-make-dispose), furniture is made from cheap synthetic, environmentally harmful materials. MDF, MDP, LMDP, FMDP panels, mostly used in the furniture industry, are made from wood waste or wood fibers, which are glued with synthetic resins using pressure and heat.
An experimental lab study found that milk is the most suitable product for developing biomaterial due to its physical properties. That way, the waste of food would be avoided and a completely new product created using milk that is no longer suitable for consumption.
This new biomaterial promises a possibility to use surplus dairy products for the production of alternative materials and their successful integration into furniture design solutions. Milk-based biomaterial can be used as a coating for chipboard and other panels. And by using agricultural materials, it can also be used as a binding material in the production of panels.
About the designer
Viktorija Balčiūnaitė
Viktorija Balčiūnaitė graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts with a degree in design. While she was still a student, her projects participated in five exhibitions, and she received an award in the design project category. She became interested in ecology in her second year at the VDA Telšiai Faculty, while creating nest boxes for swifts. It was her first attempt at creating new material. Since then, she has tried to make all her projects environmentally-friendly. As a student, Viktorija started working for a storage furniture company. After two years of practice, she changed her workplace and is currently designing upholstered furniture in an international company closely related to ecology, minimalism and Scandinavian design. Such a turn was not accidental, as she is eager to learn her craft and one day become an independent designer.
