There’s not a lot of plastic in the Fritz Hansen catalogue. As far as the brand’s chairs go, Benjamin Hubert’s Pair chair of 2016 mixes a veneered seat with a translucent coloured plastic shell; Arne Jacobsen’s Drop was released with a plastic shell in 2014 (colours recently updated); and Poul Kaejerholm’s PK8 went into production in 2008 with a plastic shell. But there’s not much else.

Now ‘circular plastic’ enters the brand stable. Nendo has designed NO2 Recycle – an all-purpose stackable chair made with recycled and recyclable polypropylene retrieved from household waste. The waste is collected, processed and upcycled in central Europe.

The design was inspired by a simple folded piece of paper on Oki Sato’s work table. The paper was translated into a ‘crease’ in the chair’s shell that makes the design support the sitter’s upper and lower back.

Fritz Hansen envisages the chair as being suitable for a variety of contexts – dining rooms, home offices and meeting rooms for example – and as extra multipurpose seating. The wipeable plastic shell is child friendly and easy to clean.

Sato sees NO2 as embodying an everyday character. He says, “The fact that the material is constructed from everyday recycled plastic creates an extra connection between the user and the chair. It’s an accessible design made for everyday use and made from everyday recycled, household plastics.”

Nendo’s other design for Fritz Hansen, NO1 (released in 2018), was the fruit of a challenging exercise in 100-per-cent wood construction. “The last all-timber chair was Arne Jacobsen’s!” exclaimed Sato at the time.

NO2 also came with its challenges. Says the brand, “It was not easy to create a recycled and recyclable chair that meets Fritz Hansen’s quality standards, but the result was worth all the experiments and hours spent brainstorming.”

NO2 will be available in stores in November.

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In Singapore, Fritz Hansen is available at the Fritz Hansen Lounge.

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Visit the Jaime Hayon-designed showroom at the Tan Boon Liat Building during Saturday Indesign on Saturday 12 October, and enjoy 20 per cent off accessories all day. Register to attend now!