GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Most West Michiganders who recycle can expect their sorted and baled plastic waste to be shipped to processing facilities all across the Midwest and sometimes beyond.
But some residents near Grand Rapids may see pieces of their milk cartons and yogurt cups in businesses much closer to home, thanks to two alumni from Ferris State University’s (FSU) Kendall College of Art and Design.
Jared Seifert and Lauren Copping, who each graduated from Kendall College in 2018, are now running Design Declassified, a company turning plastic waste into 100% recycled sheet materials that can be used to make countertops, furniture, lighting and home goods.
“We’re responding to the doom and gloom about plastic waste with a positive spin about what other people around the world are doing that inspires us,” Copping said, “And what we’re going to do in West Michigan.”
The pair uses several different types of plastic sourced from milk jugs and detergent bottles, plastic bags, pill containers, food packaging, yogurt cups and automotive parts. They don’t add any glues, resins or colors.
The company’s plastics are sourced through the Rockford Sustainability Committee, a volunteer group run that accepts community recyclables.
Design Declassified has also partnered with local recyclers to capture waste after it is shredded and washed but before it’s turned into reusable plastic pellets. They say this cuts down on the chemicals and greenhouse gas emissions typically involved with processing recycled plastic.
Once the plastic has been shredded, the company molds it into 36-by-36-inch sheets with a marble-like-finish, which they sell to manufacturers.
Plastic sheet material from Design Declassified was on display at Kendall College of Art and Design’s Fragments to Form gallery exhibition, open to the public from August through December. Photo courtesy of Ferris State University.Ferris State University
The material is versatile enough to be used for surfaces like countertops, wall tiles, plastic products and furniture designs, they said, with resistance to chemicals, corrosion, water and UV rays, along with extra protections to make it food safe.
Seifert and Copping were inspired to launch their company in 2023 after a trip to Bali, where they saw community-wide efforts to capture plastic waste and transform it into something new.
“Sustainability has always been a passion of ours, and this seemed like an incredible opportunity to take our knowledge back to West Michigan,” Seifert said.
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He graduated from Kendall College’s industrial design program, while Copping studied within the school’s interior design program.
Copping said her second business, where she works with vacation rental and property investors to design sustainable guest areas, has helped her better understand the appeal of sustainable products for both producers and consumers.
“We relied on (Seifert’s) knowledge of typical thicknesses and materials for making furniture, along with my knowledge of interior finishes, to create a product that would be in demand,” she said.
A little over a year after launching, the business earned a $10,000 in-kind award from the state’s NextCycle Michigan Accelerator, a Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) initiative to support sustainable entrepreneurs.
Selected teams received access to research, mentorship, pitch development, matchmaking with potential funders and one-on-one coaching.
The goal is to move Michigan closer to a “circular economy,” or a recirculation of products and materials through maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, recycling and composting.
Michigan has historically reported the lowest recycling numbers of the Great Lakes region, with a rate of 14.25% prior to 2019.
The state’s rates are on the rise, however, with a rate of 21% reported in 2023 and a 23% recycling rate in June 2024.
RELATED: Michigan hits record recycling rate 3 years in a row
The national recycling rate is 32%, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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