Kartell is Transparent About Sustainability

When whimsical designer Philippe Starck created his Louis Ghost Chair for Kartell in 2002 he was well already an established name. But not even Starck could have predicted that the see-through chair—whose design mimicked yet modernized the infamous seat of Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette—would leave such an enormous footprint on the world of interior design and pop culture. Nearly two decades later, Kartell's not-so royal piece has played a supporting character in nearly all parts of the design spectrum—from at-home office throne to high-end fashion showroom decor—and made the leap from niche hero to cultural phenom.

Kartell engineered the chair for Starck using a single, unbroken piece of polycarbonate plastic that has since become a design motif of the brand. First created three years earlier in 1999, the translucent material was revolutionary not only for the design house but for the world of design at large, too—the creative potential of transparency was endless. "I had the idea of using the same material that American police shields were made of and create a design product with it,"  President of Kartell Claudio Luti explains to L'OFFICIEL. Soon, the company began to incorporate the radical polycarbonate into its roster, replacing antiquated and difficult glass with the contemporary material and the rest was history. From La Marie (Starck's younger sister to his Ghost Chair) to Patricia Urquiola’s T Table and the Bourgie Lamp by Ferruccio Laviani; each design became wholly unique but shared the stylish omniscience of its familiar foundation.

Now, in a stunning commitment to the environment, Kartell has redesigned its patented polycarbonate with a focus on sustainability as part of its larger Kartell Loves the Planet program. Based off of a second-generation renewable polymer, the new material is produced by synthesis and obtained from industrial cellulose and paper waste to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 percent compared to similar fossil-based products. “Transparency is a distinctive feature of Kartell," says Luti. "We are proud that our ongoing search has led to the creation of a new sustainable polycarbonate that derives in part from vegetable waste.” Titled Polycarbonate 2.0, the innovation maintains the same level of transparency, thermal, and mechanical resistance Kartell first established, and will be introduced into its best-selling pieces—like the Ghost Chair—as well as those new to come.