Plastic Rivers is a product manifesto that conveys a critical perspective on plastic contamination, particularly in our vital bodies of water, as for the global commercialisation of waste from rich to poor countries.

This design project is a collaboration between the Madrid-based designer and the Spanish company GAN Rugs. The rugs in the Plastic Rivers collection are crafted using the hand-tufted technique, made without knots, using yarn produced from recycled PET plastic bottles. The composition of the Plastic River No.6 Ganges rug is particularly special since the recycled material was collected from the surroundings of the river. The textile work is carried out by GAN’s team of local artisans at workshops in India. The result is a very soft, resistant, and durable weave that, according to the designer, “makes you wonder whether it is made of PET and not wool.” But unlike a wool rug, the Plastic Rivers rugs are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and their 100% recycled composition makes them fully recyclable at the end of their long life.

However, the designer emphasises that this collaboration is not just a recycling or waste reduction initiative. “Plastic Rivers addresses how poor countries, having little environmental regulation, buy our rubbish, select what they are interested in recycling, then throw the rest away.  “When we conceived this project, we thought not only to recycle and remove several bottles from landfills but also to raise awareness and generate an individual social movement around the problem of plastic waste.” The designer added that “recycling is not the solution. The solution lies in being responsible users of the resources at our disposal and thinking of future-ready solutions.”