Your Next Plastic Cup Could be Made Out of Fish

Photo: Grist.org

Grist.org

July 29, 2011

By: Jess Zimmerman

Plastic is actually a pretty revolutionary material -- we wouldn't want to go back to a time before it existed (just a time before people started throwing it in the ocean). But it's made from petroleum, and we haven't really got any to spare. So viable plastic alternatives -- corn plastic, algae plastic, chicken feather plastic -- could be big business. The newest approach comes from art student Erik de Laurens, who developed a plastic made out of fish scales discarded by the fishing industry. There's nothing added to it but dye for color, so you could probably throw it in the ocean and the ocean wouldn't even care!

Joining the wave of non-petroleum-based plastics, fish scales could be the new plastic. In response to the excessive waste created by the fishing industry, Erik de Laurens has created a plastic-like material made from fish scales. Using only heat, pressure and dyes for color, Erik has transformed ordinary fish scales into goggles, tumblers, spectacles and inlay tiles for a decorative tabletop.

Entitled, Fish Feast, Erik’s project was originally inspired by an educational project that began in Cape Town. Among objects all created using the parts of caught fish, Erik first created his fish scale tumblers. Similar to recent studies using waste chicken feathers for bioplastics, further research into the waste associated with the fishing industry led Erik to develop more products to test his new plastic material.

Shortlisted for the 2011 Sustain RCA Award, Erik will be exhibiting his work this coming September during the London Design Festival. The Sustain Award recognizes graduate student work that demonstrates excellence in sustainability thinking.