The Marimekko Marimade is made from environmentally sourced, recycled, and reusable materials. Alongside other items, the line introduces lunchboxes and take away mugs made from a new bio-based plastic alternative that biodegrades without leaving permanent microplastics behind.

Finnish design house Marimekko has unveiled a new line of everyday lifestyle products, focused on sustainability and the celebration of creativity. The line is designed for value-driven, unisex customers with lifestyles where sustainability plays a big role.

Marimekko collaborated with Finnish material innovation startup Sulapac on the new Marimekko Marimade collection. Meeting Marimekko’s sustainability values, Sulapac created a new sustainable plastic alternative material durable enough for everyday use, the Sulapac Solid. This ambitious material has properties unlike any other plastic alternative because it combines the characteristics of sustaining usability and impact strength while also being sustainable and biodegradable. In addition, it has a unique ceramic look and feel. This makes it perfect for design items that aim to stand the test of time.

The Marimekko Marimade collection includes a lunch box in two colors and a take-away mug in three colors made from Sulapac’s latest material innovation. Kitchen items, like bowls, and cups, are often made of conventional plastic and release microplastics when they are used and washed repeatedly over their lifetime. Made of responsibly sourced 100% bio-based raw materials and naturally occurring clay minerals, Sulapac Solid releases no permanent microplastics.

Marimekko’s design philosophy and operations have always been based on a sustainable approach. They aim to provide timeless, functional and durable products that bring long lasting joy and that consumers don’t want to throw away. This is why Sulapac Solid is a perfect match for Marimekko Marimade. It’s sustainable, beautiful, functional, and also highly durable.

The material is also dishwasher and microwave safe. This makes it a unique addition to the world of plastic alternatives, which are often for single-use purposes only. Also, many bio-based plastics release permanent microplastics during production, in use and when disposed of, just like conventional plastics. This is not the case for Sulapac Solid. Although it is hard-wearing and reusable, it biodegrades without leaving toxic substances or permanent microplastics if e.g. recycled via industrial composting.

“It was a really exciting moment when we learned that Marimekko wanted to use the Sulapac Solid material we had developed. Our customers had long been requesting a biodegradable yet lasting plastic alternative that is also dishwasher and microwave safe. At first, we didn’t think it was possible to create such a material that had all of those properties because they seem counterintuitive to each other. It was a great feeling to do the initial product testing and realize that we had actually made it possible,” says Heidi Peltola, Head of Research and Development at Sulapac.

The hard-wearing Sulapac Solid material has high impact strength like traditional fossil-based plastics, but the whole product is carefully considered from the sustainability point of view.

The new Marimekko Marimade collection is a step toward strengthening Marimekko’s sustainability profile, and is considered to be a playground for testing new sustainable materials and ways of production for the future.

Other items in the Marimekko Marimade collection include water bottles and jars made of recycled glass and cork, A4 and A5 carrying cases made of paper, bags made out of recycled polyester, bags made of upcycled fabric, notebooks made from recycled paper and leftover fabric and textile napkins made from upcycled fabric.