Tip Ton RE
Designed by:
Barber E
Co-Designed by:
Osgerby J
Designer:
Edward Barber
Co-Designer:
Jay Osgerby
Country of Origin (Designer):
England
Date of Design:
2020
Date of Manufacture:
2020
Decade:
2020s
Region:
Europe
Significance:
Vitra's first chair made from a renewable carbon- based plastic
Manufacturer:
Vitra
Country of Origin (Manufacturer):
Germany
Material:
Polypropylene
Process:
Air-injection moulded
Monobloc:
Yes
Cantilever:
No
Renewable Carbon:
Yes
ERPR Score:
12
ERPR Rating:
Average
Weight:
4.5
Note:
In 2020, Vitra chose the Tip Ton as their first design to be reissued using recycle materials. Having explored the available bioplastics Vitra came to the conclusion that none were suitable for their use and began to reissue some of their most successful designs using recycled materials (in this case 80% post-consumer recycled PP). Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby designed the original version released by Vitra in 2011. Originally designed for educations establishments the chair quickly found favour across the commercial and residential markets. In fact, the designers told me that they received more positive feedback for this the Tip Ton than any of their other designs. The chair avoids the use of complicated buttons and levers but allows the sitter to adopt two different positions just by shifting their weight. They can lean forward to type or eat and lean back to read or rest. This version only achieved an average rating in my comparison of plastic chairs designed with sustainability in mind ad there is only one variant of the design and it was originally offered in limited colours (since increased to 8). The RE cannot be recycled at the end of its life.
Image Credit:
Vitra