August/September 2026 housewareslive.net


– making recycling products something consumers are happy to have on display. One of its most interesting developments is a partnership with SURI.


ReBorn has taken used electric toothbrush heads, a particularly awkward bathroom waste stream, and transformed the plastic into soap dishes. For the company, it demonstrates a much wider opportunity. Businesses


generating consistent waste streams could ask whether those materials might become useful products with commercial value rather than simply something they pay to dispose of. More of this thinking is planned for 2027, particularly across kitchen and


bathroom.


How have consumer attitudes towards sustainable and environmentally responsible housewares changed in recent years? Consumers have become much more sophisticated. A few years ago, describing something as ‘eco-friendly’ or highlighting


recycled content may have been enough to grab attention. Today, shoppers increasingly want to know what those claims actually mean. Where was it made? What percentage is recycled? Where did the material


come from? Is the product durable? Can parts be replaced? And what happens at the end of its life? At the same time, shoppers do not necessarily want to compromise on


design, functionality or value. Sustainability increasingly needs to be built into a great product rather than being its only reason to buy.


What do you think consumers now expect from a product that is described as sustainable, and how important is it for brands to clearly demonstrate their environmental credentials? Consumers increasingly expect evidence. The word ‘sustainable’ has become so widely used that it can mean


almost anything unless brands explain what sits behind it. That means being clear about materials, manufacturing, design and any independent evidence supporting environmental claims. For ReBorn, this is why commissioning Brunel University London to conduct a lifecycle assessment was important. Transparency matters too. No product has zero environmental impact,


so being specific about what is being improved – while recognising where there is still work to do – can create a much more credible message. Ultimately, sustainability needs to be about measurable action rather than slogans.


How important are durability, repairability, recycled materials and end-of- life recyclability when considering the overall environmental impact of a housewares product? They are all interconnected. Using recycled materials reduces demand for virgin resources and provides another destination for waste, but there is little benefit if the finished product performs badly and quickly needs replacing. ReBorn’s kitchenware is designed and tested to be dishwasher-proof,


while repairability and replaceable components are also considered. Its toilet brushes, for example, have replaceable heads, meaning the whole


product does not need to be discarded when one component wears out. End-of-life design matters


too. Designers need to consider whether materials can eventually be separated, recycled and potentially turned into something new. The opportunity is to consider all


these elements together rather than treating sustainability simply as a choice of material.


What role do retailers have to play in communicating sustainability to consumers, and how can suppliers help them tell that story effectively in-store and online? Retailers play a crucial role because they are often where consumers encounter and compare products. The challenge is making a complicated sustainability story easy to understand. Suppliers need to do the work behind the scenes and then give retailers straightforward, evidence-based messages that can be communicated across packaging, websites, product pages and stores. Physical retail can be particularly powerful because consumers can see


that products manufactured from recycled materials do not have to look or feel compromised. In March, ReBorn created a window display at John Lewis’s Oxford Street flagship telling the story from waste material through to finished product, alongside events with schoolchildren exploring that journey. For the wider industry, one of the biggest opportunities could be


rethinking what constitutes a raw material. ReBorn encourages businesses to think more like an “urban miner”.


Some valuable resources are already around us in products, packaging and materials currently in use rather than being something new that needs extracting from the ground. Its work with SURI is a simple example. A used toothbrush head might


ordinarily be viewed as waste; instead, its material can become an attractive soap dish. That changes the conversation from waste management to resource management. Looking ahead, ReBorn wants to see more businesses examine


their waste streams and ask whether those materials could be reused in products with genuine commercial value. It also wants circularity considered much earlier in the design process, with products built for longevity, repair and eventual recycling. For housewares, the next step is therefore about moving beyond simply


‘doing less harm’. Better design, recycled materials, shorter supply chains and a little urban-mining mentality could help keep materials at their highest possible value for longer.


ECO-FRIENDLY


Dreamfarm NoSpilla


Ice preparation is often overlooked in home entertaining, yet it plays an important role in serving great drinks. Dreamfarm’s NoSpilla reinvents the traditional ice cube tray with a range of clever


features that make it particularly appealing for barware and cocktail enthusiasts. Its stretchy silicone lid creates a watertight seal, preventing spills when carrying


water to the freezer and allowing trays to be stacked neatly. The splash-free filling system directs water into each cavity quickly and cleanly, while the individually sealed compartments help produce consistent, shard-free cubes and prevent freezer odours affecting flavour. When it’s time to serve, simply flip the tray over and the lid transforms into a dispensing chute, allowing ice to flow directly into cocktail shakers, glasses, jugs and bottles with minimal mess and no handling.


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