Where sustainable beauty meets eco-design

Throughout history, design has always been motivated by utilitarian beauty, and naturally echoes the preoccupations of the day. As eco-responsibility becomes a crucial issue, protecting the Earth’s resources has come to the forefront of our concerns. And tableware is no exception.

Designers and artisans in the worlds of crockery, cutlery and glassware are now tackling environmental issues in the form of eco-design. Boldness, creativity and common sense are on the menu, with brands aiming high to fuse elegant beauty with responsible production.

Three initiatives perfectly demonstrate these new approaches in action; they show how traditional French expertise and art de vivre can be applied in the future and attract international attention to France.

Sense by Jean Dubost: eco-friendly ingenuity

Jean Dubost may have been a professional French cutler since 1920, but the brand has never shied away from taking big strides in its approach to ecology. The entire handle on the innovative Sense® cutlery collection is not only beautifully designed, but also made of recycled plastic waste.

Recognised for its use of plant-derived biomaterials since 2008 and oak wood from sustainably managed forests since 2009, Jean Dubost combines traditional know-how with a pioneering approach to the circular economy in French tableware. It collaborates with young French entrepreneurs who are concerned about the future of the planet.

This new eco-designed material is a great example of the brand’s ecological stance. The material is health-focused, local, recycled and recyclable, and this Living Heritage Company (EPV) produces it in both multicoloured and black editions.

No.W by Revol: it’s now or never

Taking its first steps into the world of eco-design, Revol – a French family-owned manufacturer dating to 1768 – has chosen to participate in the collective momentum that is growing across the world. Especially in French tableware…

With a jubilant and innovative attitude, the brand reveals its simple, sensitive and sustainable range of plates made using recyclay and recycled enamel. Handcrafted in France and extremely robust and functional for professional catering purposes, this collection is a masterclass in ethical production.

In 2020, the brand committed to reducing its water consumption, treating wastewater, recovering waste, saving energy and recycling raw materials. It reintroduces 80 tonnes of its production outflow (kaolin, feldspar, clay, silica) back into its production line at the Saint-Uze site in the Drôme region of France, proving that local initiatives can lead to a more beautiful future.

Q de bouteilles: smart minimalism

What has this young, creative and committed brand set out to do? Create future classics from recycled materials.

The collections by Q de bouteilles consist of objects for the home that combine a zero-waste production method with an aesthetic that is as straightforward as it is functional. The brand’s key focus is on respecting recycled materials, and it believes that upcycling is the key to bringing joyful minimalism to life.

This duo of self-taught designers is driven by a spontaneous idea they had during an evening with friends: why not cut a bottle of wine in half to make a glass?

The manufacturing workshop, which was later set up in Le Touquet (France’s “glass valley”) now has around ten glassware artisans working on bringing new life to unwanted objects. This high-potential project takes the past and transforms it into a future full of promise and in doing so, creates an effortlessly chic signature that is undeniably French.

In its aim to accelerate the development of French watchmaking, jewellery and tableware, Francéclat studies and understands markets, drives creativity, stimulates innovation and brings the right people together to boost their international reach.