The following post is brought to you by 3form. Our partners are hand-picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design.
Good things come to those who wait, and after 10 years of research and development, award-winning manufacturer 3form has introduced a 100% recycled material – Flek Pure. Mainly sourced from in-house waste, the innovative material encapsulates pelletized trimmings from 3form’s Varia resin to create a textured, terrazzo-like product. The pellets then travel through 3form’s optical sorter for clarity and cleanliness, resulting in a product that’s 100% recycled without a muddy or murky appearance, unlike most recycled products.
After originally launching in 2019 with roughly 75% recycled material, the new iteration of Flek achieves 3form’s long-term goal of maximizing the amount of repurposed material used while maintaining their products’ signature translucent appearance. To make it happen, the product development team sourced new materials and increased recycled content to reach 100% for Flek Pure. The next step is to be able to give the optical sorter’s rejected materials to sister lighting company, LightArt, to be transformed into recycled pendants. This process will then reinforce the closed-loop production between multiple branches of the 3form family. 3form’s in-house sourcing also allows architects and designers to contribute to the brand’s waste reduction by returning their product samples – using prepaid shipping labels – to be turned into pellets for Flek.
“The most exciting part of the design process was our motivation to keep innovating,” says Charles Moore, 3form’s Senior Product Development Engineer, who spent the better part of a decade bringing Flek Pure to life. “We didn’t stop when the Flek Collection first launched because we knew we wouldn’t be satisfied until we reached 100% recycled material. This was a challenging, extensive process, but the result is so rewarding.”
Flek Pure’s terrazzo-like design brings depth and subtle pattern to commercial spaces, from hotels and restaurants to corporate offices and healthcare facilities, in an upcycled material option. As architects and designers continue to reach for higher sustainability standards, Flek Pure delivers closed-loop solutions for privacy partitions, room dividers, accent pieces, exterior walls and more creative usage. The material’s translucent appearance offers the transmission of natural light and a feeling of togetherness, while creating safe separation and a level of privacy.
Three new Flek colorways are also launching: Flek Bask and Flek Crescent, two earth-toned hues from 3form’s 2021 Design Collection, and a new electric yellow, Flek Charge. The trio joins nine existing colorways, offering designers a curated selection of hues. Flek applications with color added have up to 92.5% recycled material, just slightly below Flek Pure’s 100%.
From process to product, Flek Pure’s sustainability achievements mark 3form’s nearly 20-year commitment to Align, a program of earth- and people-centric initiatives focused on three main pillars: people, product and planet. Established in 2019, Align effectively re-doubles 3form’s efforts to pursue environmentally and socially responsible design. By creating a closed-loop product like Flek Pure, 3form raises their internal standard for future products and contributes to the restoration of our planet and the betterment of human lives. Align is the next step toward net-positive manufacturing within all 3form companies.
Curious about 3form’s recycled material options? Order an exclusive Flek sample kit, and see for yourself how it stands up to your expectations in person.
Photography by Sydney Austin.
