From Bottles to Chairs – Donar’s Sustainable Design Strategy
Entity: Donar
Country: SI
Website: https://www.donar.si
Donar is a Slovenian furniture manufacturer that integrates industrial symbiosis and circular design into its core production model. By transforming recycled PET bottles and polyester (PES) felt into high-quality, award-winning furniture, the company demonstrates how the furniture industry can reduce its reliance on virgin resources while creating innovative and aesthetically refined products.
The furniture sector traditionally depends heavily on virgin wood, plastics, and other raw materials, contributing to resource depletion and waste generation. Donar identified an opportunity to rethink this linear model by redesigning its supply chain and products around locally available recycled materials. The challenge was not only to substitute materials, but to ensure that circularity, functionality, and design quality could coexist.
Donar’s circular practice is based on the use of recycled PET bottles and PES felt as primary raw materials. Through collaboration with recycling companies, these materials are reintegrated into furniture production, reducing the need for virgin inputs by more than 15 tons of raw materials each year. This approach embeds industrial symbiosis into the company’s operations, where waste from one industry becomes a valuable resource for another.
Product innovation plays a central role in Donar’s model. Notable examples include NicoLess, a minimalist chair designed without glue to enable easier disassembly and recycling, and ChatLoop, a conference chair made entirely from recyclable materials. These products reflect a design-for-circularity approach that considers the full product lifecycle, from material sourcing to end-of-life recovery.
Industrial symbiosis is further strengthened through Donar’s collaboration with local recycling firms. These partnerships ensure a stable supply of recycled materials while reinforcing local circular value chains and reducing transport-related impacts. By working closely with regional partners, Donar contributes to a more resilient and sustainable local economy.
The impacts of Donar’s approach are environmental, economic, and social. Environmentally, the company reduces raw material consumption and reuses plastic waste that would otherwise be discarded. Economically, the use of recycled materials leads to cost savings and provides a distinctive market position based on sustainability and design innovation. Socially, Donar raises awareness of circular economy principles through visible, well-designed products and collaboration with local actors.
Key lessons from the Donar case show that industrial symbiosis can generate both economic and environmental value. Designing for circularity goes beyond material choice and requires consideration of the entire product lifecycle. The case also demonstrates that sustainability does not limit creativity; instead, it can be a driver for innovation, aesthetics, and competitive advantage.
The furniture sector traditionally depends heavily on virgin wood, plastics, and other raw materials, contributing to resource depletion and waste generation. Donar identified an opportunity to rethink this linear model by redesigning its supply chain and products around locally available recycled materials. The challenge was not only to substitute materials, but to ensure that circularity, functionality, and design quality could coexist.
Donar’s circular practice is based on the use of recycled PET bottles and PES felt as primary raw materials. Through collaboration with recycling companies, these materials are reintegrated into furniture production, reducing the need for virgin inputs by more than 15 tons of raw materials each year. This approach embeds industrial symbiosis into the company’s operations, where waste from one industry becomes a valuable resource for another.
Product innovation plays a central role in Donar’s model. Notable examples include NicoLess, a minimalist chair designed without glue to enable easier disassembly and recycling, and ChatLoop, a conference chair made entirely from recyclable materials. These products reflect a design-for-circularity approach that considers the full product lifecycle, from material sourcing to end-of-life recovery.
Industrial symbiosis is further strengthened through Donar’s collaboration with local recycling firms. These partnerships ensure a stable supply of recycled materials while reinforcing local circular value chains and reducing transport-related impacts. By working closely with regional partners, Donar contributes to a more resilient and sustainable local economy.
The impacts of Donar’s approach are environmental, economic, and social. Environmentally, the company reduces raw material consumption and reuses plastic waste that would otherwise be discarded. Economically, the use of recycled materials leads to cost savings and provides a distinctive market position based on sustainability and design innovation. Socially, Donar raises awareness of circular economy principles through visible, well-designed products and collaboration with local actors.
Key lessons from the Donar case show that industrial symbiosis can generate both economic and environmental value. Designing for circularity goes beyond material choice and requires consideration of the entire product lifecycle. The case also demonstrates that sustainability does not limit creativity; instead, it can be a driver for innovation, aesthetics, and competitive advantage.
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