Reee chair

London-based Pli Design Ltd ( http://www.plidesign.co.uk) is launching its latest eco-friendly product, a chair made from 100% recycled games consoles. The launch takes place on Wednesday September 10, 2008 in London, at the HQ of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

The British manufactured 'Reee® chair' has a plastic seat and back made entirely from recycled PlayStation®2 computer games consoles*. Unlike most recycled plastics, which come from a variety of sources, the plastic in the Reee chair is entirely from a single source, making it the first of its kind in the country.

The Reee chair - which is available for the contract, education and domestic markets - was conceived at the annual Eden Project Suppliers conference in Cornwall, where the Pli team discussed the possibilities for reusing high-quality plastic from waste electronics products with other manufacturers, including Sony Computer Entertainment.

Each chair uses 2.4 kg of recycled plastic and the chair parts are designed to be disassembled at the end of their life and recycled again and again. The production of recycled plastic requires a fraction of the energy used for 'virgin' plastic that comes straight from the oil barrel. And because the chair is also completely sourced and manufactured in the UK, it travels a fraction of the distance from factory to customer when compared to a chair made in Asia, all of which makes it highly attractive to furniture buyers who put environmental responsibility and sustainability on their list of 'must haves'.

Alex Whitney, Pli's design manager, said: "The simple idea behind the Reee chair is to produce a recycled furniture product in the UK that has style, function and durability but does not compromise its environmental credentials - so our customers don't have to compromise theirs."

Having originated the idea of producing a quality chair with a low carbon footprint, Pli brought in Sprout Design, a specialist sustainable design consultancy, to develop the finished product. With funding from London Remade, the London Development Agency's waste and recycling initiative, Pli developed the original prototype into a production-ready model and the Reee chair went into full-scale production in July 2008.

Pli director Christopher Pett comments: "The Reee chair does not put a premium on the cost of sustainable living: it is priced competitively with other domestic and contract seating designs in the UK market. Pli's mission is to prove that sustainable businesses in the UK can compete on price and quality with imported products."

The Reee chair will go on sale at the Eden Project's visitor shop in Cornwall and through selected retailers and contract suppliers across the country in September. During the London Design Festival it will also be available to buy in Selfridges, London, in the Designersblock pop-up shop located on the 4th floor.

The Reee chair launch will take place on Wednesday 10th September 2008, 6.30 pm to 9 pm at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, 10 Great Marlborough Street, London W1F 7LP.

Design and interiors journalists who want to attend the launch of should contact Christopher Pett at Pli on 020 8670 6857, email office@plidesign.co.uk or sign up for the event on Facebook (see below).

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Notes for editors

*The European Communities WEEE Directive

The games consoles are collected and reprocessed under the EC Waste, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. The WEEE Directive entered into force in the UK on 2 January 2007 with full producer responsibility from 1 July 2007. It requires electronics manufacturers to take responsibility for the recycling of their products at end-of-life. The plastic seat and back parts of the Reee chair are made from 100% recycled plastic derived from a single source of WEEE products.

About Pli

Pli designs and manufactures contemporary furniture. Pli's workshop is in London, UK. Established in 2003, Pli's aim is to supply high quality and environmentally sustainable furniture to homes, offices and public buildings. Pli develops new, exciting designs and sources the best environmentally sustainable materials available.

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For further information, please contact:

Christopher Pett

Pli Design Ltd

Tel: +44 (0)20 8670 6857

Email: office@plidesign.co.uk

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