DSM’s Biobased Nylon 410 Used in New Stackable Chairs

DSM Engineering Materials has collaborated with New Zealand-based direct-to-consumer furniture brand noho to produce the latter’s new Lightly stackable chairs made from DSM’s biobased EcoPaxx nylon 410. The new plant- and recycled-based product is the first chair to be manufactured from DSM’ EcoPaXX. Said to combine superior functional performance, optimal durability, and excellent aesthetics with a significantly reduced environmental impact, EcoPaXX is facilitating noho’s goal of creating environmentally friendly furniture. As of March 16, 2023,Lightly became available to order in the U.S. and New Zealand.

The chair is created using both EcoPaXX (~71%) and recycled post-consumer waste materials (~28%). EcoPaXX is 70% biobased, with its renewable content derived from castor bean plants. EcoPaXX biobased nylons have a wide range of uses across industries such as automotive, water management, consumer goods and electronics, and food packaging. Combining comfort and convenience, Lightly is designed to be light and easily stackable for simplified storage, mobility and versatility: one chair weighs only 6 lbs. and a stack of 10 chairs reaches just 3.5 feet from the ground – allowing users to easily store them away when not in use. This compactness also reduces the greenhouse gas emissions related to shipping the products, as more chairs can be loaded into a single container.

The Lightly chair is said to offer users excellent comfort thanks to its award-winning, research-based design. Nevertheless, its thin frame is manufactured using as little material as possible to reduce GHG emissions related to raw material sourcing. This means the material used must meet extremely demanding performance standards, and EcoPaXX provides the ideal combination of strength, durability, low moisture uptake, and excellent surface finish – resulting in a product that is as attractive and robust as it is sustainable.