Are you looking for sustainable and responsible furniture that fits perfectly in your contemporary interior? This is exactly what the impact company KATABA offers with its range of contemporary furniture, “respect for the earth and the people”. His latest nugget: a high-end upcycled lamp made from sheet steel, reclaimed directly from Parisian construction sites. Meeting with Luc, the founder of the social and solidarity enterprise. He goes back to the reasons that led him to transform materials to give them a second life.
what is your background† your role in this project †
After studying industrial design and a career as a chief engineer in the merchant navy, I founded KATABA in 2017. KATABA is an impact economy company, a pioneer in sustainable and low carbon furniture. In 2019 Florent joined me to accelerate the development of the project, change its scale and increase its positive impact for the planet and people.
For five years now, we have also been working hand in hand with the Ecological Transition Agency (ADEME) on the environmental problems of the furniture sector. Today we launch the ambitious project to reuse deconstruction materials to create upcycled and high-end furniture or lighting, such as Banville, our latest project, available for pre-order.
What can you tell us about this project?
Banville is a suspension designed by Clara Rivière and made from sheet steel obtained directly from Parisian construction sites. It is made by Francis, metal repeller. By deforming cold steel, it took very little energy and raw materials to produce it. In concrete terms, the manufacture of a Banville lamp emits 50% less CO2 than an identical product made from virgin material.
Why did you decide to start? in this adventure?
Every year 46 million tons of waste are produced by the construction sector in France. Our studies show that reuse is the most effective lever to reduce the CO2 impact of a product. On some parts we achieve a division by eight of the CO2 emissions. And this thanks to upcycling.
So at KATABA, we are convinced that today we need to invent the desired sobriety to succeed in the ecological transition. With all the designers, craftsmen and integration workshops we work every day to envision this joyful, desirable and inclusive transition. Our Banville Lamp shows that it is possible.
What message do you want to pass on your action?
Banville is not a simple suspension, it is an iconic and meaningful object. A manifest object that testifies that this urgent transition is possible, that it is within reach. Last step for us, that of collective engagement, to promote this new economy and these more responsible ways of consumption. That’s why we’ve decided to extend our crowdfunding campaign for a few days so that readers can support, join and engage us.
Do you want to support more sustainable and responsible furniture? Join KATABA’s crowdfunding campaign and pre-order the Banville luminaire, a durable and resolutely contemporary pendant.