“Would you be more likely to recycle if your rubbish bin was a most beautiful thing? Finland’s Niimaar has changed the nature of the chore with a functional piece of sustainable design.
In 2016, the gigantic mountains of single-use plastic started to bother Enni Karikoski. What can one do to encourage people to recycle instead of tossing out stuff where it doesn’t belong?
“That’s when the idea started to brew,” she tells now, three years later. “I figured it’d be great to make a piece of design furniture that makes recycling as easy as possible.”
Ecosmol, a modular recycling bin and a brainchild of Karikoski, was born in the hands of designer Harri Koskinen. It’s also a crucial element in the story of Niimaar, a family business that used to offer dental services and sell furniture.
“Initially, Niimaar did something completely different,” Karikoski explains, “but with Ecosmol, things started to change. Everything we do now has something to do with reducing plastic waste.”
Niimaar is still a family company run by Karikoski, her mother Aija Karikoski and her sister Sanni Karikoski.”
You can read the full press release here.