“Umbrellas on the market today are theoretically made of recyclable materials such as metal, plastic and wood. However, they can’t be recycled as they are. They’d need to be disassembled to be properly disposed of, which means that most of them just end up going to landfill…a big waste of resources. The polyester canopy, as an example, takes up to 100 years to biodegrade.”

“Ginkgo is made entirely in a single material. All the parts, from the canopy’s fabric to the seams’ thread, from the pole to the closing button, are made from polypropylene. All the fastening elements, such as screws, pivots and especially glue, have been replaced by integrated snap-fit elements. Thanks to these solutions, when Ginkgo finally reaches the end of its useful life you can just toss it in the recycle bin. No need to disassemble the components.”