How we turn plastic bottles into curtains

A curtain of recycled plastic bottles perhaps doesn’t sound like the best solution when you want to create a cosy home with a sustainable touch – but how about if the bottles are transformed into a curtain?

Curtains can spruce up most rooms – and provide privacy. Nowadays when many live in big cities with neighbours close by, there seems to be an increasing need for a private sphere in our own hut or castle. “I think it’s a basic need that MARIELENA can help out with,” says product developer Karin Karedal. “It’s a short curtain that fits perfectly in kitchens or other places where you want some shelter from the outside world.”

Three bottles become one curtain

To make MARIELENA something more than a helpful curtain, Karin and her colleagues decided to produce it from 100% recycled plastic bottles. By using recycled material, both energy and resources can be saved. The bottles are washed, turned into pellets, and then spun into a fine yarn. Approximately three half-litre bottles are needed to make one MARIELENA curtain.

New life to plastic and people’s homes

At IKEA we want to use as much recycled and or renewable material as possible. That’s why you can find recycled plastic not only in our curtains, but also in some of our storage boxes and kitchen fronts. “I like that MARIELENA is a product that can give new life to both people’s windows and recycled bottles,” says Karin. “It gives a whole new meaning to a simple thing like putting up new curtains at home.”