The Plastic Rivers nº 6- Ganges rug, an “object-manifesto” of GAN new collection handmade in 100% recycled PET, has been shown for the first time at Rossana Orlandi during Milan Design Week 2021. During a round table in which Álvaro Catalán de Ocón and Mapi Millet, GAN’s creative director, came together to discuss designs for a better world, was conceived PLASTIC RIVERS. The GANGES rug, the first of four pieces that GAN will launch as a complete collection in 2022, has been presented at the Rossana Orlandi Design Gallery, a global destination for contemporary design located during the last Milan Design Week in September 2021. The Plastic Rivers nº 6- Ganges rug is the first “object-manifesto” of a new collection handmade in recycled PET created for GAN, a Gandia Blasco Group brand dedicated to making handmade rugs, poufs and accessories, that celebrates in 2021 its 80th year since its birth. Thanks to the quality of its designs and the use of innovative artisan techniques, GAN is today a reference brand with an international presence. It is, therefore, the result of shared concern between the company and the Spanish designer to raise awareness and combat the global challenge of pollution through sustainable processes and alternatives, with a clear call to action: to break the cycle of plastic waste that ends up polluting our rivers and oceans. GANGES faithfully reflects the paradoxical beauty of its origins: the center of India’s spiritual life and one of the rivers that carry the most plastic waste. Like the rest of the designs in this vindictive collection, it is a handmade rug made from 100% recycled PET using the hand-tufted technique. In PLASTIC RIVERS, after a high-quality recycling process, the yarn obtained from plastic waste takes on a new meaning and offers a very soft touch weave -similar to wool-, as well as providing a high level of resistance and durability. While generating an attractive and powerful image, the GANGES design highlights the rivers turned into highways that carry thousands of tons of plastic waste to the oceans. Spectacular basins, mountain ranges, plains, and estuaries in greens, earth tones, and blues. In the words of its creator, “PLASTIC RIVERS aims to expand the role of design and bring a holistic view to our profession. Together with GAN and its craftsmen and craftswomen, we have brought to life an “object-manifesto” that reflects the reality of the very material it is made of and seeks to start a conversation about a worrying global problem: the plastic pollution in our rivers and the origin of these residues, which largely come from the commercialization of waste between rich and poor countries”. The rug is not an interpretation, but rather a faithful scale reproduction of the river it represents, which carries thousands of tons of waste into the Indian Ocean. Thanks to its material and powerful message, GANGES is the winner in the Urban Public Furniture Design category of the Ro PLASTIC PRIZE 2021, organized by Rossana Orlandi. GAN already produces certain collections with recycled materials -such as NUANCES and GARDEN LAYERS by Patricia Urquiola, and DIAMOND by Charlotte Lancelot. Now, with PLASTIC RIVERS, the brand renews its firm commitment to the evolution of craftsmanship, the revaluation of manufacturing processes, and recycled materials. The complete collection will be introduced in 2022 and will include, as well as GANGES, three additional rugs, each representing one of the world’s most plastic-polluted rivers: YANGTZE (100×400 cm), INDUS (200×300 cm), and NIGER (Ø250 cm).
