Humans have found creative uses for bones since prehistoric times. Animal bones have been shaped into spoons, needles, musical instruments, and combs. Meanwhile, bone ash—created by grinding bones to fine powder—has been used in bone china since the 1700s. Now, a designer has brought one of the planet’s oldest raw materials into the 21st century by redesigning the humble electric socket—and fashioning it out of discarded bones from the meat-processing industry.
Swiss-Tunisian designer Souhaïb Ghanmi graduated from ECAL, Switzerland’s famed design school, last summer. For his diploma project, he designed Ecol, a range of electric sockets and light switches made from a bone powder composite material. As the world continues to grapple with the environmental impact of the meat industry, animal bones may seem like a controversial choice for home accessories otherwise made of plastic. But for Ghanmi, the goal is to limit waste streams that already exist: The Swiss meat industry, for example, produces more than 230,000 tons of waste each year.
That such a ubiquitous part of our homes—one that we use every single day without even thinking about it—could come from slaughtered animals isn’t easy to digest, but Ghanmi sees the material as one that brings value because it’s diverting it from the waste stream, not adding to it. “It’s a process until we have a better world,” he says.
Ghanmi built the first prototype with a 3D printer, but is hoping to use molds to create future versions. (He says carving the outlets from bones could have worked, but he decided against it because it would have led to more waste material.) For now, he’s testing the material to make it as durable as possible. Bone is mostly composted of calcium so it can’t decompose, but Ghanmi notes that it can be gnawed by scavengers or slowly eroded by water.
Ultimately, he wants to create a material that can be crushed back to powder and recycled into another product. And if he gets it right, he plans to use it for more home products.