Materials
Zero Waste Lab is a collection by mozi studio, a design practice based in Gdynia, Poland, working at the intersection of design, sustainable materials, and craft. At its core are PHA and PHB - natural biopolyesters produced by microorganisms from renewable carbon sources, rather than petrochemical feedstocks. Bacteria produce these polymers under conditions of environmental stress, storing them internally as a natural energy reserve, much like fat is stored in animal tissue. Once extracted and processed, the same material that once served a living organism becomes a workable, moldable substance capable of taking the form of everyday objects without ever passing through an oil refinery.
Vision
Conventional plastics are cheap, durable, and endlessly versatile but that durability becomes a liability once an object's life ends: microplastics and toxic residues persist in soil and water for centuries. Zero Waste Lab asks a simple question: what would furniture look like if materials were grown instead of extracted? PHA and PHB offer one answer. They are fully biodegradable and compostable, breaking down cleanly and returning to soil, water, and compost once a product's life cycle is complete. The project doesn't propose grown materials as a niche curiosity, but as a genuinely viable, scalable alternative to plastics already present in everyday furniture production.
Collection
The collection comprises furniture: stools and side tables, and a series of lamps, made from PHA and PHB in mozi studio's own workshop. Lamps are 3D-printed, allowing for lighter, more intricate forms; furniture is made from sheets produced on Precious Plastics-type machines, adapted for biopolymer processing. The collection has also been enriched with aluminum elements, sourced from local scrapyards and cast in-house. Forms are kept simple, free of unnecessary detail, so that the material and its origin remain at the center of attention. Every object is made entirely on-site in Gdynia, keeping the material's full journey, from raw material to finished piece, transparent.
