Jean Louis Iratzoki designs "first bioplastic chair"
Maison&Objet 2015: Basque designer Jean Louis Iratzoki has moulded the shell of a chair from a plant-based polymer that is fully recyclable and biodegradable (+ slideshow).
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_SQ01.jpg)
Jean Louis Iratzoki claims that the Kuskoa Bi chair designed for Basque furniture brand Alki is the first on the market to feature a 100 per cent bioplastic seat.
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
"We decided that the collection we are presenting for Alki, Kuskoa Bi, had to be a comfortable, enveloping chair and to achieve this we opted for a semi-concave shell," said Iratzoki.
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_468_5.jpg)
Injection-moulded seats are commonly formed from non-renewable plastics, produced using finite fossil fuels that are considered harmful to the environment – something Iratzoki wanted to avoid.
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_468_6.jpg)
"The production of plastic not only depletes the world's diminishing fossil resources, it is also a pollutant that harms the environment and is therefore contrary to Alki's fundamental principles on sustainable development," the designer said.
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
As an alternative, Iratzoki's studio researched and developed a type of plastic that is made using only renewable plant-based resources such as beet, corn starch and sugarcane.
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
The compound is obtained using a series of mechanical processes, followed by a fermentation period. The resulting polymer can be injected, extruded and thermoformed into the desired shape.
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_468_12.jpg)
"This bio-based polymer is fully recyclable and its organic properties mean that, when subjected to an industrial process, it is biodegradable," said Iratzoki.
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
Shaped to support the arms and back, the shell sits within an solid oak frame that cups the underside of the seat.
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_468_14.jpg)
A version of the chair is also available covered in a wool-based upholstery.
![The First Bioplastic Chair Kuskoa Bi by Jean Louis Iratzoki](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/01/The-First-Bioplastic-Chair-Kuskoa-Bi-by-Jean-Louis-Iratzoki_dezeen_468_11.jpg)
The design is set to launch at Paris trade fair Maison&Objet, which opens on Friday and continues until 27 January.