Icelandic designer Valdís Steinarsdóttir is turning byproducts from the meat industry into vessels made of bone and a bioplastic material for packaging.
The Just Bones project saw Steinarsdóttir create containers from ground animal bones, while Bioplastic Skin transforms animal skin into packaging for the same creature's meat.
Both materials dissolve in hot water and biodegrade within weeks.
Top and above: Steinarsdóttir's Bioplastic Skin is made from slaughterhouse waste products
Her designs are an attempt to come up with new ways of reusing the amount of waste that is produced by slaughterhouses.
"I found meat processing to be both an extremely hard and morally challenging topic to explore," Steinarsdóttir told Dezeen. "In fact, that was exactly what inspired me to go further, because I think as designers we need to be unflinching and ready to tackle uncomfortable issues."
"To make new discoveries, it is often good to look backwards and rethink accepted norms and established ways of doing things," she added.
Just Bones vases are made from ground bones
Steinarsdóttir sources her materials from local slaughterhouses and farmers before transforming them into new materials. The bowls and vases for Just Bones are made by grinding down the bones to a powder, using an advanced mortar machine.
She likens the process to the creation of MDF, which is made by breaking down wood into fine particles that are bound together by wax and a resin binder....