Biodegradable Orange Peels Make Fragrant and Functional Tableware

"orange peel bowl"Orange peels are already the perfect shape for a mug or small bowl, so Israeli designer Ori Sonnenschein helped them transform.

Oranges are in season during the winter months, and so they may have graced many people’s tables recently.  But oranges don’t have to disappear from your diet or your table once spring arrives.  Israeli designer Ori Sonnenschein has found a sustainable way to extend the season of this fruit, in the form of fragrant tableware made out of orange peels.

A self-described optimist, Sonnenschein believed in the potential of this usually discarded material and found a way to make it durable and useful again.

"orange peel tableware"Exhibited recently at Milan Design Week together with other sustainable projects created by Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design students, Sonnenschein’s line of tableware is titled ‘Solskin Peels’.

Of his project Sonnenschein says that “I focused on finding a local biodegradable and functional material.  I found it in citrus peels.  Through simple processing I could produce a lightweight, durable, biodegradable, water resistant material with a pleasant aroma, color and texture.”

"orange peel mug"Part of the process that he used in order to mold and harden the peels included drying them with microwave technology.

The full line of ‘Solskin Peels’ includes cups, plates, spoons, mugs, and small jars.  One of the mugs (pictured above) is made from an inside-out orange peel, which grants it a unique texture and color.

solskin design

For more see Solksin Design Studio

Read about more edible uses for oranges:
Artichokes and Oranges: December’s Seasonal Produce
RECIPE: Easy Moroccan Orange Salad
The Jaffa Orange Gets the Carbon Label

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Karen Chernick
Author: Karen Chernick

Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.

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