Wabo is a collection of hand boards that are created from plastic waste produced from 3D-printed prototyping.

Eight million pieces of plastic make their way into the ocean on a daily basis. That’s a lot of plastic. While some brands commit themselves to gimmicky sustainable practices that have more to do with marketing than carbon-neutral manufacturing, other brands learn how to make something out of the plastic waste they produce.

Designer: Uido Design Studio

The multidisciplinary design studio Uido Design is a studio known for its catalog of 3D printable product designs and its team is doing something about the waste they produce during the design process. Shredding the plastic waste produced from 3D printing into bits and pieces, Uido Design uses the waste to create hand boards for users to ride the ocean waves.

Each time Uido Design develops a new product design, tons of boxes are filled with plastic waste from 3D-printed prototypes. “Our commitment to the planet is serious,” Uido Design suggests, “and our only waste as a company is those prototypes, so we started thinking about what we can do with them and how we can transform them into a new and fun product.”

Designed by Lautaro Lucero, the hand boards are handcrafted by both him and Tadeo Lucero. After the plastic waste has been shredded up into bits and pieces, the duo forms 6mm plates, which are then cut and transformed into hand boards for paddling in the ocean waves. While the hand boards are by no means a necessary product, they represent a fun way of making something out of the waste that can and will be put to use.

Uido Design Studio shreds the plastic waste into bits and pieces before forming them into 6mm plates.

A fitted strap is then attached to the curved plates for secure hand placement.