Welcome to the final part of our series following the collaboration between Restaurant Nolla, Muoviamo, and TELMA students from Live Vocational College. We’ve witnessed the journey of plastic waste through sorting, cleaning, and shredding, to designing and prototyping with Nolla’s staff and students.
Now, it’s time to unveil the project’s outcome: custom cutlery rests made from Restaurant Nolla’s own plastic waste!
From prototype to production mold
After successfully testing the silicone mold prototype at Nolla, we proceeded with production. The final aluminum mold was CNC milled based on our refined 3D design, incorporating all workshop feedback and ensuring perfect consistency in production.
Injection molding
With the aluminum mold ready, we began mass production using injection molding – an efficient method for creating hundreds of identical, high-quality pieces. The PP5 plastic, carefully sorted and processed by Nolla’s staff and TELMA students, was transformed into the final product through this precise process. Each cutlery rest is made entirely from Nolla’s recycled plastic.
Adding the finishing touch
To complete each piece, we used a custom copper stamp featuring Nolla’s logo. Using a drill press and cold stamping technique, we carefully branded each cutlery rest, creating a permanent mark that ties the product to its origin.
The finished product
We’re proud to present these elegant, durable cutlery rests – now in use at Restaurant Nolla. The design cleverly incorporates Nolla’s logo, which consists of two opposing curves forming the number zero. Each cutlery rest is shaped as one half of this zero, allowing for creative table settings: when placed facing each other, two rests create Nolla’s signature zero logo. When turned on their sides, these same pieces serve as practical cutlery rests for two place settings. This dual functionality demonstrates how thoughtful design can merge brand identity with practical purpose.
Each piece represents our vision of turning waste into valuable resources and stands as a daily reminder of sustainable practices in action.
Impact and future possibilities
This project showcases the potential of circular design while providing valuable learning experiences. The TELMA students gained hands-on experience in product development, Muoviamo strengthened its expertise in local recycling solutions, and Restaurant Nolla took another step toward their zero-waste vision.
We thank Restaurant Nolla for their trust and the TELMA students for their dedication.
See it yourself
Visit Restaurant Nolla at Fredrikinkatu 22, 00120 Helsinki to see these cutlery rests in action and discover their other sustainable practices.
Thank you for following our journey!
PART 1: Zero waste meets circular design
PART 2: Designing cutlery rests with students
PART 3: Restaurant Nolla in Muoviamo’s Plastic Lab
PART 4: From waste to raw material with the students