Can Design Thinking Change the Future of Plastics?

What if the future of plastics doesn’t start in a lab, but in a design studio? In this episode of Plastic. Climate. Future., we speak with Beat Karrer, founder of FluidSolids, who took an unconventional path from industrial design into material innovation — developing high-performance materials made entirely from waste streams. From corn cobs to coffee waste, his work challenges a fundamental assumption: that plastics must come from fossil resources. We explore: How waste streams can become high-performance material feedstock Why design thinking is a powerful (and often overlooked) driver of material innovation What it takes to scale new materials — from pilot to industrial production Why circularity depends on systems, not just materials A refreshing and grounded perspective on what it really takes to rethink plastics, not just replace them. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!