Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Made in Finland
Sustainable jewellery with an urban attitude Design Jaaza Kokko is a sustainable Finnish jewellery brand with an urban attitude. Each design is made as organic as it can be, with recycled or waste material used, or Finnish wood. Eija Kokko is a firm believer that if you create something new, it must be eco-friendly – otherwise she sees no point in creating it at all. By Heidi Kokborg | Photos: Jaaza Kokko
Kokko founded Design Jaaza Kokko almost by accident when she was still studying design at Lahti University of Applied Sciences. “We had an art exhibition called Betula Pendula – Inspired by Birch, where I designed jewellery from birch. People wanted to buy the pieces, and that’s how Design Jaaza Kokko took shape,” she smiles.
ucts. If I am going to do this, it has to be eco-friendly; otherwise, it would be better not to do it at all. That’s why I use recycled or waste material, so that my jewellery can be as eco-friendly as possible.” You can buy Design Jaaza Kokko at Helsinki Vantaa airport, near gate 28.
graphic and inspired by so many places and people,” she says. What really sets Design Jaaza Kokko apart is the fact that Kokko cares deeply about the environment and our nature. “One thing that is certain is that we have too much junk on our planet. There are too many disposable and badly made prod-
Taking care of the planet In designing her jewellery, Kokko is inspired by the beautiful Finnish nature, and in particular Jyvlävkylä, where she is from. However, it is not only the vast Finnish nature that inspires the designer, who is also influenced by people and the different societies and cultures in the world. “My designs are
Web: www.designjaazakokko.com Web shop: www.arcticworldofsantaclaus.com Instagram: @jaazakokko
No waste (of space) Even though things are improving, it is estimated that 480 kilogrammes of waste are generated per person every year in the EU. Many materials, such as metal, glass and plastics, could be easily recycled but are still often thrown out instead, due to simple factors such as a lack of ease in recycling. Now, a Finnish mother-and-daughters team has come up with Ecosmol: a piece of furniture that helps make home recycling an easier and more pleasant process. “Most people don’t have space in their home for multiple large, unsightly bins – that goes for us too – and recycling things like cardboard and plastics takes up a lot of space,” says Enni Karikoski, who now runs the family business Niimaar alongside her mother and sister. “And so, we came up with a convenient piece of furniture that holds and hides your recycling but also works as a seat, a shelf or a table.” She continues: “We wanted the Ecosmol to be practical, to be made of high-quality materials, and to have a bold, clean aesthetic – the classic Nordic design principle – and were lucky enough to get the award-winning Finnish designer Harri Koskinen on board. He designed a product that we’re 82 | Issue 111 | April 2018
really proud of: a durable, sturdy but easily movable bin made of sustainable Finnish birch, with three adjustable compartments.” Karikoski’s friend, a Japanese designer based in Barcelona, invented a series of reusable, waterproof and washable bags that fit the possible compartment sizes. The Ecosmol is already available in shops in much of northern Europe and
By Louise Older Steffensen | Photos: Niimaar
ships to the rest of the world. In addition to producing the Ecosmol, Niimaar takes part in many local clean-up initiatives and events created by Helsinki’s green scene. “We’ve already been inspired by lots of great people and initiatives and look forward to expanding into more products that make for an easy but sustainable lifestyle in the future,” says Karikoski. Put simply, Ecosmol makes recycling pretty.
Web: www.niimaar.com Facebook: niimaarhelsinki Instagram: @niimaar_