9 RATTAN

Rattan – also known as cane – has been used since the Renaissance as a filling material in ship holds for transporting East Asian goods. It is dimensionally stable yet pressure-elastic, as well as tensile and tear-resistant. Due to these characteristics, this ‘waste’ material was reused in Europe for wickerwork. It is suitable for both basketry and furniture production.

Rattan is obtained from a climbing palm and is a very sustainable raw material, as it can be harvested after only two years. The vanishing of the primeval forests makes it an endangered raw material today, as it requires their special climatic conditions for growth.

Which waste products do you give a new use?