Designer Robert Johnson presents a panel discussion around his Fatconomy system, which explores using London's wastes a sustainable material, as part of VDF's collaboration with the Design Museum.
The third event for today's Design Museum takeover is chaired by writer and curator Priya Khanchandani. She will be joined by Johnson, Purefuels directors Tom Lascia and Paul Fraser, researcher at material innovation studio Materiom Zoe Powell.
Robert Johnson was one of the Design Museum's Designers in Residence 2019
Johnson's Design Museum residency project, Fatconomy, is the starting point for the discussion, which will focus on how innovation can lead to waste fat being used in more productive ways.
His project examined the waste produced by restaurant in London to explore how a production system could be established within pre-existing waste recycling models. The designer got fat samples from over a hundred different London restaurants and cuisines
It featured a takeaway restaurant-inspired display of fat samples taken from 144 London restaurants, as well as objects created from the waste fat. These included an apron, a Crocs-style shoe, cable ties and packaging materials.

The designer also created a fat map of London. "This is basically taking a more nuanced approach to the fat waste of London, in methods of extraction," Johnson explained.
"It's taking a close look at the detailed landscape of 'what does this fat data say', and what can we do with it from a ma...