Supercyclers are an ever-growing collection of international designers focussing on building a sustainable future by transforming perceptions of waste materials. For the London Design Festival, Sydney based Supercycler Andrew Simpson, creative director of design studio Vert, has developed a way to up-cycle junk mail.

The Junk Mail Press salvages a waste material in abundance. Cellulose is a raw material that is delivered daily - for free - in the form of unwanted post. Rather than adopting the usual unproductive approach to disposal (binning/shredding/recycling), Simpson has created a press, sand cast in aluminium with interchangeable moulds, that can make a range of bowls, plates, lunch-boxes, lamp- shades and cups. To make the objects Simpson creates a pulp from the junk mail, mixes it with water, and then compresses the mixture using the aluminium press.

It’s reassuring to see a growing number of designers developing conscientious and sustainable practices. We recently interviewed Ariane Prin, who, for her graduate project at the RCA in London, built a device that made pencils out of waste harvested from the college’s own skips and rubbish bins.