Case Study - Converse – Precious Plastic Melbourne

Recycled plastic surfaces complete the look for an innovative global brand

Converse: Shoes are boring. Wear sneakers!

Objective

Converse was seeking an innovative solution for the fit-out of their new 'Renew Labs' (Fitzroy), a space where old shoes can be taken to be repaired, upgraded, or recycled, with the goal of working towards a more circular future through embracing conscious-consumerism.

Reflecting the creativity and sustainability ethos behind the Renew Labs concept, key criteria for Converse included working with local creatives to utilise locally-sourced, repurposed materials and zero-waste methods for the build and fit-out.

With this in mind, Converse found Precious Plastic Melbourne to be the perfect fit to undertake the design and creation of the upcycled surfaces for the Renew Labs project.

Approach

Collaborating closely with Converse and their branding agency, Amplify, we were tasked with creating a range of recycled surfaces for the store fit-out - these included shoe display shelves, bench tops and a round 'hero' plinth.

Working within a tight timeframe, we needed to rollout the deliverables as efficiently and effectively as possible. For materials, we opted to utilise the resources we had on hand - discarded plastic bottle caps. It was crucial that the surfaces were on brand, so after providing a series of samples in various colour combinations, we settled on a simple yet effective colour palette of black with white flecks.

After commencing production, we went on to produce 40 x 10mm thick plastic sheets in-house. These where then cut to size, routed and hand-finished by our team as required. For the central table-top, the sheets were cut down into 'tiles', and secured to the table base to complete the final piece.

Results:

Project deliverables
40 x 10mm thick boards were produced, which we used to create:
• 61 x Shoe Display Shelves
• 4 x Customisation Station Benchtops
• 1 x Hero Plinth With Custom Tiled Tabletop
• Small Plinth Tops (created using samples & offcuts)
Project impact
• 60kg post-consumer plastic recycled
• 20,000 discarded lids diverted from landfill
• 192kg CO2 emissions savings

Importantly, not only was this waste diverted from landfill, it also prevented the need for use of virgin (new) materials.
Lessons and success
As sheets are time-intensive, the biggest challenge was producing the quantity required within the tight deadline.
To double production time, our team installed additional equipment, and successfully completed production in time to meet the deadline.