When a natural, malleable raw material meets the desire for sustainability and the creative will of a designer, the best ideas can emerge. When such ideas also fall on fertile ground, a path is made for something very special: a strong piece of design, each one unique and universally applicable.

In the Swisspearl factory Swisspearl barrels are still handcrafted every day to give them an unmistakable character. The fiber cement mats, which can be formed in a liquid state, are cut to size, carefully placed in the vessel moulds, joined together, tapped firmly, and dried. This process always leaves valuable raw material scraps behind to be disposed of. 

The production of the Trash Cube is integrated directly into the existing work process. The workers place the pieces and strips of material cut off during the production of the planters and furniture in a still damp, therefore malleable state directly into the Trash Cube mold, close them, and let them dry overnight. The next morning, the mold can already be removed and the individual properties of each piece become visible.

Each Trash Cube is unmistakably unique, a massive body of pressed and folded pieces of material, a sculptural rough diamond that seems indiscriminately coated with an austere outer form. The top and bottom sides are smooth and functional; in between, the material shows itself as unified and powerful in its liveliness and plasticity; coming into its own when played upon by light and shadow. Its unique yet universal shape makes it the perfect all-rounder—whether stool, table, or sculpture which, thanks to sustainable and durable material, finds its place both indoors and outdoors—as a strong piece of design.