3form Comes Full Circle : TreeHugger

3form has announced Full Circle, a new collection of products in it's varia™ line distinguished for the way it connects ecologies and communities throughout the world. Said 3form CEO Talley Goodson, in a press release, "With Full Circle, we are creating relationships between designers and a diverse set of artisan communities around the world. We are also connecting our ecoresin™ varia™ products with the earth’s renewable resources. Full Circle is not just about wonderful options for the design world; it’s about a better quality of life for everyone."

The collection includes five new products, all designed and sourced with a high degree of environmental and social consciousness; examples are pictured from left to right in the image above.

Ithemba means "hope" in Xhosa-speaking Africa, where the wire mesh material is hand-woven by women whose lives have been affected by HIV and AIDS, with the goal of creating a market their talents and providing them with a sustainable way of life.
Capiz are sustainably harvested shells, in partnership with a local co-op, sourced from the shallow waters of the Indonesian archipelago and benefitting victims of last years' tsunami.
Palau was developed to be harvested with a sustainable process whereby palm husks which naturally fall to the ground are collected each day. The process ensures consistent color for 3form Palau panels and creates a new, legitimate enterprise for the community from previously wasted raw materials.
Lasso is created from the fibers of the common sisal plant, though the unique pattern has been refined in a single village in Colombia for generations. Partnering with a local non-profit, 3form commissioned the art the locals named "Nemquetaba," after the god of weaving.
Finally, River Rock comes from water-worn stones found in Indonesia. The stones are cemented together by translucent "ecoresin," and the ongoing process of collecting and shipping the stones creates local community-based jobs.

3form's "ecoresin" is used throughout the Varia product line, which has been certified a 40% post-industrial recaptured material by third-party certifier Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). The certification insures that all Varia products, except "River Rock," strangely, meet LEED certifications standards. The ecoresin panels won an organicAWARD from organicARCHITECT in 2004.

3form also offers strata™, a multi-layered designer series; struttura™, a prismatic structural system of paneling; as well as a modern furniture collection, previously mentioned here at TreeHugger. ::3form Full Circle