Studio Nienke Hoogvliet has harnessed a method of transforming wastewater into bioplastic, and used it to create a sustainable cremation urn.
The Delft-based studio took advantage of a method developed by the Dutch Water Authorities to create the Mourn urns, which it presented during Dutch Design Week.
They are made from polyhydroxyalkanoate, or PHA, a bioplastic that can be produced from bacteria found in sewage water. It has similar properties to regular plastic, but biodegrades at a similar rate to wood.

Studio founder Nienke Hoogvliet believes using this material when burying cremated remains can help to reduce the issue of soil and groundwater pollution in the Netherlands, caused by ash-scattering fields and graveyards.
"Our body is a trash bin," studio founder Nienke Hoogvliet told Dezeen. "During our lifetime, we collect waste substances in our body that we can neither use, nor process further. "With one person the soil would be fine, but in the Netherlands there are many scattering fields and graveyards where way too many ashes are scattered. The nutrient and toxin levels become too high and the soil cannot process them anymore."

The Dutch Water Authorities have been working for several years to refine the process of producing PHA.
The material is derived from a certain type of bacteria that is initially put into the water to purify it, and remains after the water becomes waste. While working as a cleaning agent, it produces a fatty ...