KARTELL AND ILLYCAFFÈ: THE RECOVERY AND INNOVATION PROJECT THAT COMBINES DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY CONTINUES

MILAN, April 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The collaboration between Kartell and illycaffè continues in the name of the circular economy which, on the occasion of the Salone del Mobile 2023, is expanded with the Eleganza armchair, in the ELA and NIA versions, designed by Philippe Starck. The novelty of this year is the structure of the seat, made with the recycling system of Iperespresso capsules, in two color variants.

After the Re-Chair, created by Antonio Citterio for Kartell and conceived as an object of experimentation with the expressive capacity of recycling, as well as the first ambassador of the project that made it possible to transform waste coffee capsules into a design product, Eleganza innovation is based on the processing already implemented for Re-Chair, paving the way for new applications, colors, and creative possibilities.

The partnership between Kartell and illycaffè will also be the focus of the installation that from April 17^th to 23^rd will animate the illy flagship store in Via Montenapoleone (Milan) with an installation in which the theme of nature and sustainability are the protagonists: a rich vegetation will spread spontaneously in all its spaces welcoming the Re-Chair chairs, to give life to a perfect cohesion and coexistence between all the elements without nature and greenery being contaminated. In some islands of vegetation, green plexiglass volumes containing coffee capsules will be combined to emphasize the production process of the chair. A way, also scenic, to emphasize how two excellences of Made in Italy contribute to the sustainability of the planet through the strengthening of circular economy production models. On the occasion of the Salone del Mobile, the restaurant space will be furnished with Re-Chair and Eleganza chairs.

"Passion always pushes us one step further to look for new materials, technological solutions and increasingly performing and sustainable production processes – explains Lorenza Luti, Marketing and Retail Director of Kartell - To do this, we put in place great energies and investments, and we grow partnerships capable of bringing great results. The project with illycaffè does not exhausts in a product or in a slogan: it is an industrial vision that has led two excellences of Made in Italy to join together to contribute to the sustainability of the planet through circular economy production models. A common search for innovation that focuses on quality, beauty and well-made and that continues today by giving birth to new products and new solutions is told with an installation during the Salone del Mobile."

"The promotion of the transition towards a circular economy model is now an essential factor for safeguarding the future of our planet - says Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè - Together with Kartell, with whom we share the urgency of the transition to increasingly sustainable systems and the ability to join forces and mutual knowledge for the protection of the common good, we have managed to put into practice solutions that have transformed materials at the end of their life cycle into a new design product."

About illycaffè

illycaffè is an Italian family-owned company, founded in Trieste in 1933 which has always set itself the mission of offering the best coffee to the world. It produces a unique 100% Arabica blend composed of 9 different ingredients. The company selects only 1% of the best Arabica beans in the world. Every day 8 million cups of illy coffee are served in over 140 countries around the globe, in the cafés, restaurants and hotels, in single-brand cafés and shops, at home and in the office, in which the company is present through subsidiaries and distributors.
Since its foundation, illycaffè has oriented its strategies towards a sustainable business model, commitment that it strengthened in 2019 by adopting the status of Benefit Company and in 2021 becoming the first Italian coffee company to obtain the international B Corp certification. Since 2013 the company is also one of the World Most Ethical Companies. Everything that is "made in illy" is about beauty and art, the founding principles of the brand, starting from its logo, designed by artist James Rosenquist, up to illy Art Collection cups, decorated by over 125 international artists, or coffee machines designed by internationally renowned designers. With the aim of spreading the culture of quality to growers, baristas and coffee lovers, the company has developed its Università del Caffè which today holds courses in 25 countries around the world. In 2021, Rhône Capital became a minority shareholder of illycaffè with the aim of contributing to the company's international growth plans.

In 2022, the company had 1230 employees and a turnover of €567,7 million. The illy single-brand network has 190 points of sale in 34 countries.

SOURCE illycaffè