Innovation

Rekrill® is the patented biomaterial with which the company creates its 100% biodegradable and compostable design products. Thanks to Rekrill® they value natural resources and respect the environment: 1kg of Rekrill corresponds to 1 kg of CO2 compensated.

Krill is a small crustacean similar to the shrimp at the base of the marine diet that lives in colony, in the net. Krill Design wants to spread in a capillary way “Krill points” (hubs), up to the meeting between production and final consumer.

Before the introduction of ReKrill there were already "enriched" materials such as Woodfill which is a PLA with the addition of wood waste or others with metals. But the problem of this material is that PLA isn’t biodegradable and compostable, unlike PHB, the basic bioplastic used by Krill Design.

Their zero impact goal meets the technology of 3D printing: they never create an object more than the necessary, thus reducing waste to zero.

At the moment, they have created three materials out of three scraps: orange, coffee, and lemon. They are looking for companies that propose a certain byproduct. In order to proceed with a circular economy project, it can be made from chocolate, tomato, or even “limoncello" (not to be confused with lemon due to its alcohol content).

The process consists of four steps: dried orange - which they call "pastazzo", from pastazzo to orange powder (step called "micronization"). The micronized orange passes to a compound activity from which the orange granules called "pellets" are obtained. Finally, the pellet is heated and passed inside an extruder from which we obtain the filament with which we print in 3D.

The current approach is to use organic vegetable waste, such as fruits, vegetables, cereals. It is important that there is waste containing starches, sugars, cellulose or lignin, fibers. They then proceed testing different types of waste and verify the most suitable.

They work at "zero waste": from their production there is no waste. For example, if a piece gets bad, the firm re-introduces it in the process of creation of the material. One of their products can be disposed of in organic waste or, better still, returned to them to be reused.

Krill Design launched a circular product: "Ohmie The Orange Lamp", the first lamp in the world entirely made from orange peels in 3D printing, the protagonist of a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Inspiration

The idea and inspiration for this new project was born to create an alternative to one of the biggest problems of 3D printing: the massive consumption of plastic. Through several tests they found this material that has the suitable characteristics for the creation of small and medium furniture.

Yack Di Maio and Martina Lamperti met at the Faculty of Architecture of Politecnico di Milano. Neither of them continued with architecture but started their business with the aim of designing and making their products through 3D printing. They started to print for third parties and that’s how Ivan Calimani contacted them.

At that time, Ivan Calimani was developing, in collaboration with a company, a material derived from potato peel and needed someone who could test this material.

They didn’t have the competences they have now and couldn’t find a really usable material, so, the project remained on standby. The research required a lot of effort and they were self-financing.

The first material they could develop was the one resulting from the recovery of oranges from Autogrill juices. Autogrill was interested in Krill Design and this led to the joint idea of a successful collaboration, culminating in the Was Orange project of sugar packet holders to be included in some of their stores.

Nowadays, the culture of sustainability has become more and more widespread. People, also due to recent events, have become more interested in environmental impact and in a responsible choice of raw materials.

Overall impact

Krill Design has been positively impacting its area, carrying out its projects in Europe. The company is both trying to reduce the emission of CO2 and making our planet more sustainable through its products using PHB instead of PLA (in accordance with the 13th SDG - “Climate action”).

Circular economy, for Krill Design, is the opportunity to view waste not as mere refuse but as an existing resource to be valued, leveraging its potential to create something new. Circular economy means using what already exists and is in surplus to create sustainable objects with unique forms, leveraging technological innovation and creativity, in accordance with the 12th SDG - “Responsible consumption and production”.

The “Co.ffee Era project: sustainability on a neighbourhood scale” with the city of Milan has allowed to bring the circular economy to the local level, in the suburbs of Milan, transforming the coffee grounds of various restaurants in ecodesign products. In accordance with the 11th SDG - “Sustainable cities and communities”, the goal was to activate a circular economy project with social impact, raising awareness of issues such as close and achievable sustainability.

Business benefit

Large companies are now requesting the activation of circular economy projects with Krill Design. All of this comes with a privileged connection to the food industry and related sectors. Among the partner companies of Krill Design, which doubled its revenue in 2022 compared to 2021, there are indeed Nestlé, Cimbali, Lurpak, and Veuve Clicquot, a great result for a sustainable startup.

There is a surge in requests from the automotive, marine and cosmetics industry to use Rekrill. A carbon footprint so low that it ensures 90% fewer emissions compared to a similar plastic product. With such high flexibility of use, the application of Rekrill in design products could soon expand to many industrial sectors where reducing carbon footprint is a priority.

These are the characteristics that make Rekrill a product destined to be increasingly in demand. "Thanks to the visibility we are gaining through circular economy projects, a series of companies in the industry are contacting us, expressing interest in using our Rekrill material” confirms Ivan Calimani, CEO of Krill Design.

If design products are primarily in demand abroad, starting from Northern European countries, the United States, and Japan, contributing to an export that absorbs about 90% of the production, partnerships with companies are mainly in Italy. The interest from the industrial sector represents a development that will further increase the volume and quantity of products made from biomaterials derived from waste in the food industry and beyond at an even faster pace.

Krill Design is participating in the Salone del Mobile in Milan, which is also widely supported by Intesa Sanpaolo bank. The bank states that furniture and lighting are a clear example of the innovation and success of Made in Italy worldwide. It is a sector where Italy is a leader in Europe. Companies that invest in innovation and environmental consideration are destined to continue growing in the coming years and export abroad. On the sustainability front, Intesa Sanpaolo's support is aimed at helping companies invest in renewable energy.

Social and environmental benefit

The circular economy projects developed by Krill Design for client companies involve four phases entirely managed by the company:

- a consultancy phase to identify the waste to be transformed and the design objects to be created according to the company's needs;

- a feasibility study and the ad hoc process to be used for transforming the waste into biopolymer;

- the actual production of the biopolymer;

- the design and creation of the design object through 3D printing.

This has yielded positive results for Autogrill and Enel. Krill Design started the project “Light Up Waste” in collaboration with Enel, in which they transformed the plastic from decommissioned meters first into indoor lamps and then into a work of art (a reproduction of a Leonardo work, on display at the Museum of Science and Technology in Milan).

Furthermore the company worked with other important partners, as in the project "Sicily’s (R)evolution" promoted by Sanpellegrino, in which they gave new life to the orange peels used to produce the beloved Italian orange juice, through the creation of an exclusive collection, consisting of glacette, tray and lamp.

Krill Design has received several awards such as “Best Performer for Circular Economy Services (2022)”, “ADI Design Index (2022)” and “Sustainable Development Award (2022)”.

Interview

Michele Perrone, Marketing Manager