The Impossible Chair
When the founders of KAOS decided to create a children's chair made entirely of recycled plastic, they had no idea how challenging the journey to reach that goal would be. With unwavering determination and support from dedicated partners, they managed to realize a product that many deemed impossible.
Published: 23.May, 2025 Last updated: 05.December, 2025
– It was a good thing we didn't know in advance how difficult it would be, says KAOS founder Mette Bordal Hansen to co-founder Gineline Kalleberg.
Kalleberg laughs, but can only agree. The two are sitting in their flagship store, Studio KAOS, at Lilleborg Torg in Oslo. When they started the work on creating a children's chair made of one hundred percent recycled plastic in 2021, neither of them could foresee the obstacles they would have to overcome.
– In retrospect, it may feel like a series of coincidences that we succeeded, but we have realized afterward that it was because we didn't give up, smiles Kalleberg.
Learn more about the journey behind ReKlapp:
Challenges in Succession
Hansen and Kalleberg became mothers at around the same time and quickly discovered that the baby equipment industry did not take durability or sustainability seriously. In 2015, they started KAOS with a clear goal: to offer parents a better alternative that combines sustainability with function and good design.
Four years later, they launched the KAOS Klapp high chair made of oak and beech, which became a success among parents both in Norway and internationally. But when the corona pandemic led to a shortage of wood, they had to rethink. This is how the idea of a high chair made from recycled plastic was born.
– We worked with incredibly skilled engineers and were in dialogue with large engineering firms, but when we said we wanted to work with recycled plastic, the response was immediate: "No, that's not possible," says Kalleberg.
Then the challenges began to surface – one after another. First, they needed engineers with specialized material expertise who could contribute with technical drawings and data modeling. Following this was a long phase of research and testing to find the right type of plastic.
– We quickly realized that "recycled plastic" is not just one thing, says Hansen.
They discovered that the plastic came in countless variations and qualities. Additionally, recycled plastic is softer than fossil plastic, which challenged the chair's construction. Therefore, they had to identify a "reinforcement agent" – a material that could give the plastic the necessary strength and rigidity. It was a long process of trial and error, but eventually, they found partners who were willing to join the journey.
Important Supporters
– The support from the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund was absolutely crucial, says Kalleberg.Â
In 2022, KAOS received support from the fund to continue the development of Reklapp. There was a great sense of relief when the news came – the support meant they could continue the work, which had proven to be far more demanding than they had initially anticipated.
Why would the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund support this project?
Lars Brede Johansen, Head of Plastics and Environment at the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund, says this about the project:
KAOS, with a keen eye for good design and sustainable solutions, has successfully transitioned from a hobby to establishing itself as a pioneer in baby and children's equipment with seven employees. They listen to researchers and their own disruptive mindsets, set the bar high and succeed in developing sustainable chairs with a low and decreasing environmental footprint. KAOS succeeds in combining environmentally efficient products with rapid growth in revenue.
The latest version of the Klapp High Chair is circular economy in practice. And it should be noted that high chairs are a demanding product with high requirements for the materials used. Therefore, it must be considered an important milestone in the effort to replace virgin plastic with recycled, as KAOS now offers such a chair made from 100 percent recycled plastic. They have demonstrated how a company that sets high environmental standards creates ripple effects that accelerate development, in this case among engineers and plastic experts in the plastics industry.
They had to find manufacturers willing to work with high-level innovation with a lot of uncertainty, who had a large and complex enough machinery to handle the massive molds. In 2023, KAOS finally got in touch with a player willing to take the risk of attempting something no one had done before. Wicro Plastics in Kessel, the Netherlands, believed they could produce what KAOS was looking for. However, Director Evelien Fasotte describes the project as very ambitious.
– This was supposed to be a chair made of recycled plastic, and not just recycled plastic, but consumer-based material, says Fasotte.
To reach the goal, they needed another actor. It was Wicro who connected KAOS with NG Nordic in Finland, which had developed the material “Circo”: 100 percent recycled plastic from consumer waste collected in the Nordic countries – reinforced with wood fibers.
Project Timeline
2022
KAOS får støtte fra Handelens Miljøfond til å utvikle ReKlapp barnestol
2023
KAOS inngĂĄr samarbeid med Wicro Plastics og NG Nordic
2024
ReKlapp stĂĄr ferdig!
The World's First Circular Children's Chair
On March 8, 2024, Kalleberg and Hansen could finally travel to Wicro in the Netherlands to witness the production of the very first ReKlapp chair. It was a moment they will never forget.
“It was like witnessing a birth,” laughs Kalleberg.
“Along the way, it was challenging, but it was incredibly fun when it came together,” adds Hansen.
When the chair emerged after a successful production process, the world's first circular children's chair became a reality – made from 100 percent recycled plastic from consumer waste, reinforced with wood fiber and recyclable up to nine times.
The project has already created sustainable ripple effects in the industry. Evelien Fasotte at Wicro Plastics states that they have since increased the use of recycled plastic in their own products. Anniina Rasmus, Business Manager at NG Nordic in Finland, says the KAOS project has given them confidence that recycled plastic can be used in high-quality products.
“KAOS are truly pioneers,” asserts Rasmus.
