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Da grunnleggerne av KAOS satte seg fore å lage en barnestol laget helt av resirkulert plast, visste de ikke hvor utfordrende reisen skulle bli. Med urokkelig besluttsomhet og støtte fra dedikerte partnere, klarte de å realisere et produkt mange trodde var umulig.
Published: 03.June, 2025 Last updated: 05.December, 2025
– It’s probably a good thing we didn’t know in advance how hard it was going to be, says KAOS founder Mette Bordal Hansen, turning to her co-founder Gineline Kalleberg.
Kalleberg laughs, but nods in agreement. The two are seated in their flagship store, Studio KAOS, at Lilleborg Torg in Oslo. When they first set out in 2021 to develop a high chair made entirely from recycled plastic, neither could have imagined the challenges that lay ahead.
– Looking back, it almost feels like a string of lucky coincidences that we made it, Kalleberg says with a smile.Â
– But the truth is, it happened because we simply refused to give up.
Learn more about the journey behind ReKlapp:
En reise preget av hindringer
Hansen and Kalleberg ble mødre omtrent samtidig — og oppdaget raskt at babyutstyrsindustrien hadde lite fokus på holdbarhet eller bærekraft. Som svar grunnla de KAOS i 2015 med et klart mål: å tilby foreldre et bedre alternativ som kombinerte økobevissthet med funksjonalitet og flott design.
Fire år senere lanserte de KAOS Klapp High Chair, laget av eik og bøk — et produkt som traff en nerve blant foreldre i Norge og utover. Men da COVID-19-pandemien utløste en global mangel på treverk, ble de tvunget til å revurdere hele tilnærmingen. Det var da ideen om en høy stol laget av resirkulert plast begynte å ta form.
– Vi samarbeidet med utrolig dyktige ingeniører og hadde samtaler med store ingeniørfirmaer, men så snart vi nevnte resirkulert plast, var svaret umiddelbart: «Nei, det er ikke mulig» forklarer Kalleberg.
Key Supporters
– The support from the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund was absolutely crucial, says Kalleberg.
In 2022, KAOS received funding that allowed them to move forward with the development of ReKlapp. The relief was immense when they got the news. Until then, the project had proven to be far more complex and demanding than they had ever anticipated – but the funding meant they could keep going.
Why Did NREF Support This Project?
Lars Brede Johansen, Head of Plastics and Sustainability at Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund, explains:
With a strong eye for design and sustainable solutions, KAOS has successfully made the leap from a passion project to a pioneering company in the baby and children’s gear industry, now employing a team of seven. They listen to researchers and their own disruptive instincts, set the bar high, and deliver – developing sustainable high chairs with a low and steadily decreasing environmental footprint. KAOS proves that it’s possible to combine environmentally efficient products with rapid commercial growth.
The latest version of the Klapp high chair is circular economy in action. And it’s worth noting that high chairs are particularly demanding products, requiring strict standards for material strength and durability. That’s why KAOS’s achievement – launching a chair made entirely from 100% recycled plastic – marks an important milestone in the shift away from virgin plastics. They’ve shown how a company with high environmental ambitions can create ripple effects, accelerating innovation across the industry – in this case among engineers and plastics specialists alike.
De trengte å finne produsenter som var villige til å jobbe med høynivå-innovasjon under betydelig usikkerhet – og som hadde de store, komplekse maskinene som kreves for å håndtere de enorme injeksjonsformene. I 2023 kom KAOS endelig i kontakt med en partner som var villig til å ta risikoen ved å prøve noe ingen hadde gjort før. Wicro Plastics, basert i Kessel, Nederland, mente de kunne produsere det KAOS lette etter. Likevel beskriver administrerende direktør Evelien Fasotte prosjektet som svært ambisiøst.
– Dette var ikke bare en stol laget av resirkulert plast – den måtte være laget av plast fra forbrukernes avfall, sier Fasotte.
For å nå målstreken, trengte de en partner til. Det var Wicro som forbandt KAOS med NG Nordic i Finland, selskapet bak materialet «Circo» – en plast laget av 100 % forbruksavfall som er samlet inn i de nordiske landene, forsterket med trefibre.
Project Timeline
2022
KAOS receives funding from the Norwegian Retailer's Environment Fund to develop the ReKlapp High Chair
2023
KAOS enters into a partnership with Wicro Plastics and NG Nordic
2024
The ReKlapp High Chair is completed!
The World’s First Circular High Chair
On March 8, 2024, Kalleberg and Hansen were finally able to travel to Wicro in the Netherlands to witness the production of the very first ReKlapp High Chair. It was a moment they’ll never forget.
– It felt like witnessing a birth, Kalleberg laughs.
– There were some really tough moments along the way, but when things finally started falling into place, it was incredibly rewarding, Hansen adds.
When the chair emerged from the production line after a successful run, the world’s first circular high chair had become a reality — made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, reinforced with wood fibers, and recyclable up to nine times.
The project has already sparked sustainable ripple effects in the industry. Evelien Fasotte at Wicro Plastics says they’ve since increased the use of recycled plastic in their own products. Anniina Rasmus, Business Lead at NG Nordic in Finland, says the KAOS project restored their confidence in using recycled plastic for high-quality applications.
– KAOS are true pioneers, Rasmus concludes.
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