Surely no introduction is necessary for Dinosaur Designs. Louise Olsen, Stephen Ormandy and Liane Rossler’s distinctively styled accessories and homewares, crafted out of resin and silver, have become an institution in Australia over the past 25 years. The label’s signature look—artful, organic shapes—is applied to a number of themed collections throughout the year, each one bringing seasonal colours fresh interpretations of the Dinosaur Designs aesthetic.
Since inception, Dinosaur Designs pieces have been made in the Sydney studio by hand, avoiding the energy required for machine production. Each design is intended to be a timeless collector’s piece, coveted for a lifetime—as testament to this, the team tell HowBigIsYourEco that products retain or increase in value over time. Their signature resin pieces are sculpted from what is essentially an industrial waste product which would otherwise be buried in barrels underground.
The whole business, from the studio to the stores, operates off green energy and all emissions are offset through Climate Friendly. Recycled paper is used in everything from look books to carry bags, stationery to toilet paper. Only soy inks are employed for printing. Waste is recycled where possible and attention is paid to re-using and reducing materials. The recent renovation of the studio was carried out using eco plaster board (Gyprock EC08) and non-toxic paints.
Each Dinosaur Designs collection supports a cause important to the team. A percentage of the new Moon range goes to the World Wildlife Fund to prevent erosion of the Great Barrier Reef from agricultural run-off and lobby for laws to stop damaging practices. “From the moon, the Great Barrier Reef looks like a strip of opal on the Earth,” they explain. The Sun range contributes to the Cancer Council of Australia and the label also supports (take a deep breath) Sydney Children’s Hospital, Camp Quality, the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Children’s Cancer Institute of Australia, Australian Conservation Foundation, Voiceless and the Women for Change Alliance and more.
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Brand: Dinosaur Designs
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- Polli
Great article. But aren’t the majority of their products made from plastic?
Actually Pablo, the material you are thinking of is resin. Granted, it does have a plastic-like finish, but it is actually a natural plant secretion, as far as we know. We’ve contacted Dinosaur Designs for more information about their resin…
Well Pablo, turns out we’re both wrong but Dinosaur Designs’ eco just got bigger. I’ll let them explain:
“Resin is an industrial waste product, which if not used is buried in barrels underground. By using a recycled product Dinosaur Designs are reducing the stress on the environment when producing our resin pieces.
Over the last five years Dinosaur Designs have been searching for a product that could co-exist or replace our polyester resin, but unfortunately we are yet to find an alternative. There are many factors that have contributed to this such as large corporations being unwilling to provide information on their waste products and the possibility that a product simply doesn’t exist that suits our use and environmental concerns.
There are many bio-degradable products that can be injection into moulds, but unfortunately these products breakdown when they come into contact with water. Also one needs to be 100% sure that these products are made using environmentally sustainable techniques.”