Creativity with waste material

In an environmentally challenged world, how should design respond to resource constraints, spiralling costs, waste management requirements and the inevitable rise in public demand for accountability? Rather than a barrier to innovation, Pith believes that any response to these realities should be a welcome part of the creative process. This philosophy is core to the content offered in their exclusive series of ‘You-do-Yuzu’ stationery design and making workshops scheduled at the upcoming London Design Festival. Each session leverages Pith’s centrepiece Yuzu product to demonstrate reuse possibilities, encourage interaction with waste and help attendees reimagine and create in their design language. “We see these workshops as a way to open conversation and engage with our community around the subject of future and re-usable materials,” comments Pith co-founder Liam Goward. “A product constructed using waste is capable of being beautiful, it can also skip traditional recycling routes, producing upsides in cost, supply chain efficiencies, processing and carbon footprint.” The ‘You-do-Yuzu’ sessions adopt the simple example of reusing cover-board offcuts from Pith’s manufacturing process for participants to design and create a personalised book to take away. “We take great care in sourcing this beautiful recycled material and we believe that the same degree of consideration should go into reapplying it. During each workshop, we will communicate new ideas, facilitate group discussion and engage attendees in practical design sessions. The result should be a different way of thinking about waste at home, in the boardroom, design studio and on the factory floor; What other materials are being thrown away without consideration? What design and business opportunities are being missed as a result?” Adds Pith’s co-founder Andrew Hardie. ‘You-do-Yuzu’ workshops will run at the London Design Festival from the 17th to the 25th of September. They are part of an exciting suite of events hosted by Pith, the official stationery sponsor at the Festival, which include drawing workshops, new product launches, and a pop-up store that showcases the complete scope and quality of the Pith creative stationery collection. Pith are designers and manufacturers with a passion for paper. From the very beginning, co-founders Andrew Hardie and Liam Goward committed to producing the highest quality creative stationery with minimal impact on the environment. All our products are conceptualised, developed and finished by hand under one roof in Northumberland, UK. Established in 2020, at a time when the world stood still. We were seeking a deeper connection with the materials we use to create. Focusing on functionality, quality and sustainable materials to form what we believe is the essence of stationery.