Renzo Rosso is one of our generation’s visionaries. His brand Diesel has stood for an unconventional, independent and wild lifestyle for decades. He summed up his business credo in a single sentence: Be stupid!

“Circular economy” is more than just a buzzword of our generation. It is also Zeroplast’s strategic focus. The world is not into packaging anymore. Consumers, businesses and producers feel guilty right away. Recyclable, biodegradable, useless garbage? The thing is, packaging can also look good and be useful. Plus, the raw materials can be reused for a new product after they’ve served their original purpose. We want to help our customers think about many things in a new and different way. Circular, as it were. And to do that, you have to be stupid sometimes. Not in the sense of idiotic, but fanciful, like Steve Jobs. Having childlike curiosity about and being open to materials, technologies and processes which could bring about positive changes on our planet.

We will be showcasing one of these projects during the 2019 K Trade Fair. Zeroplast free is a material that is based entirely on biogenic and mineral raw materials. Using natural fibers for the material makes it easier to recycle it. By avoiding the use of chemical additives, the material can be used for heating when incinerated as residual waste, which is outside of the favored recycling process. Plus, the final products created from the material break down into their natural components when composted. The material properties of these components have a positive impact on the global carbon cycle. After many years of tweaking the material, we were able to adapt and optimize it for processing in injection molding thanks to our collaboration with Wittmann Battenfeld. This was also possible with the support of international research partners and as an important part of a highly regarded and award-winning project, Horizon 2020, under the leadership of Fraunhofer ISC.