John Lewis has welcomed to its shelves an exclusive new range of homewares set to transform the sector’s understanding of sustainability by turning waste into stylish items for the kitchen and reducing the use of virgin materials.
Co-developed by ReBorn in partnership with the UK waste management company, Biffa and research partners at Brunel University London, the collection is produced solely from waste materials – primarily wasted food packaging collected from British factories, and ‘reborn’ into stylish and practical homewares.
Produced in ReBorn’s Wiltshire factory, every element – from raw materials to packaging – within the range acts to support local industries while eliminating the carbon footprint associated with international transportation.
ReBorn was developed in response to the homewares industry’s growing issue around the use of virgin materials and reliance on international manufacturing and transportation. Many products in the homewares sector are too often ‘co-moulded’, meaning they are mixed materials that cannot be recycled.
ReBorn’s use of waste materials reportedly cuts carbon emissions by 79% compared to the conventional methods used within the industry. The range is now available exclusively at John Lewis.
Michelle McGuire, John Lewis buyer and partner, said: “We are thrilled to be launching ReBorn exclusively at John Lewis. We’re always looking for new innovative and more sustainable products that align with our brand values.
“The range offers a new take on practical product, where customers can feel confident knowing the products are made from more sustainable sources, at an affordable price. We can’t wait to expand our range and commitment to providing customers with more sustainable choices.”
The collection of products are not only reusable, repairable, and recyclable at end of life but have all been designed to be space efficient and long-lasting.
Brian Walmsley, founder of ReBorn, said: “Almost 70 million homeware items are thrown away in the UK every year, many of which will end up in landfill, and we know this is a major issue that retailers have been keen to address.
“Through ReBorn, we wanted to tackle this problem and have created a brand that turns industrial waste into eye-catching homeware that elevates your kitchen’s aesthetic, delivering a more sustainable and circular approach that clearly resonates with consumers.”
The whole range carries with it the seal of approval from Brunel University London’s chemical engineering department, where the recycled plastic is quality checked for home use, durability, and recyclability. Brunel-based environmental scientists, led by Dr Eleni Iacovidou, will track the product’s lifecycle to compare its carbon emissions with conventional virgin plastic, import-reliant homeware products.
“ReBron promises to markedly reduce the number of virgin plastics the UK imports and, most importantly, contribute to efforts to promote a circular plastics economy,” said Dr George Fern who leads Brunel’s Wolfson Centre for Sustainable Materials Development and Processing.
“This more circular approach can sizeably shrink the carbon footprint of the large UK homewares industry and in doing so, help the UK reach its net zero carbon goals.”
