Material Matters with Grant Gibson

Can we actually recycle cigarette butts, dirty nappies, and coffee pods? Tom Szaky, founder of TerraCycle and the reuse platform Loop, joins Grant Gibson to reveal how 'Material Intelligence' can turn global rubbish into a viable business.
In this episode, we dive into the economics of waste and the design of a circular future. We discuss:
The ‘Milkman’ Model: How Loop is bringing back convenient reuse.
Dirty Nappies & Chewing Gum: The tech behind recycling the ‘unrecyclable’.
The Problem with Sandpaper: Why some materials remain a design flaw.
Business of Rubbish: From a ‘worm poop’ startup to a global powerhouse.
Politics & Sustainability: Building a green business in a shifting climate.
Tom also reflects on his journey as a refugee, dropping out of Princeton, and why his office is permanently filled with trash.
Explore more: Visit materialmatters.design for more on our fairs and conferences, and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates and insights on material intelligence.
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Can a communication designer change the global conversation on rubbish? Sophie Thomas OBE—a rare blend of campaigner, chartered waste manager, and practicing designer—joins Grant Gibson to discuss her extraordinary, three-decade journey at the vanguard of sustainable design.
In this episode, we explore how ‘material intelligence’ and circular design thinking can inform activism. We discuss:
Graphic Activism: How design can move beyond ‘guilt’ to create real environmental change.
Rubbish Tours: a life-changing trip to a Dutch recycling center and what happens when you take a thousand designers to a landfill site.
Obsession with the Toothbrush: Why a simple, ubiquitous object exposes a global design flaw.
The Future of Ink: Why Sophie’s future career is shifting back to the most fundamental graphic material.
Sophie also reflects on starting her career at The Body Shop, working on the Earth Centre, and whether a designer can ever create without guilt.
Explore more: Visit materialmatters.design for more on our fairs and conferences, and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates and insights on material intelligence.
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Can a discarded pair of jeans become a luxury item? Anna Foster, founder of the sustainable fashion brand ELV Denim, has saved thousands of garments from landfill by proving that they can. She joins Grant Gibson to discuss how ‘material intelligence’ is redefined in the world of high fashion.
In this episode, we dive into the complex water footprint of denim and the design of a regenerative fashion loop. We discuss:
East London Vintage: How ELV is proving that ‘women are born to innovate.’
Radical Localism: Finding all her skilled makers within a three-mile radius of her studio.
Rethinking Luxury: Value and desire in materials that other people reject.
Expanding the Palette: Upcycling old hotel linens and expanding beyond denim.
Anna also reflects on her 20-year career as a fashion editor and why she prefers her denim without stretch.
Explore more: Visit materialmatters.design for more on our fairs and conferences, and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates and insights on material intelligence.
Important fact check: Grant misread some of his statistics in this episode. We produce between 4.5 to 6 billion pairs of jeans a year and a pair of jeans uses 3,800 litres of water to produce. We’re happy to correct these errors. 
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Can seaweed eradicate single-use plastic? Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, co-founder of the award-winning packaging company Notpla, joins Grant Gibson to discuss the rapid rise of one of the world’s most exciting alternative materials.
In this episode, we dive into the history of seaweed as a resource and the technology of material replacement. We discuss:
The Earthshot Prize: How a student project in a kitchen won a global environmental award.
The Perfect Replacement: Why seaweed is the ultimate regenerative substitute for plastic packaging.
Ooho & The London Marathon: Using edible bubbles to eliminate thousands of plastic bottles.
Scaling Up: Notpla's journey from a crowdfunding campaign to a global brand.
Industry Resistance: The political challenges of replacing traditional plastic.
Rodrigo also reflects on his early water balloon experiments in Hyde Park and why he almost became an architect.
Explore more: Visit materialmatters.design for more on our fairs and conferences, and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates and insights on material intelligence.
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Can a multi-disciplinary designer turn agricultural and industrial waste into raw materials for creativity? Shubhi Sachan, founder of the Material Library of India, joins Grant Gibson to discuss unlocking the potential in India's complex waste landscape.
In this episode, we dive into the global and local impact of waste. We discuss:
The Material Library of India: Establishing a new center for research in New Delhi in 2017.
Waste Colonialism: Tackling the ethical dimensions of international textile waste.
Reimagining Cotton: Why the crop needs to be completely rethought as climate-adaptive.
Rejected Condom Streetwear: Turning manufacturing flaws into a radical new material collection.
The Future of MLI: Reusing industrial materials in a capitalist world.
Shubhi also reflects on opening a textile thrift store and why her family has questioned her path.
Explore more: Visit materialmatters.design for more on our fairs and conferences, and sign up to our newsletter for regular updates and insights on material intelligence.
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