Every object tells a story, but the story often begins before the object even exists. It begins with material—the invisible foundation of design. At Cyrc, the question of material is never an afterthought. It’s the heart of what we do.
Our pieces are made from PLA, a bio-polymer produced in Vancouver. Choosing this material allows us to support local industry and shorten supply chains, but more importantly, it gives us the chance to reshape the conversation around plastics, sustainability, and responsibility.
PLA, Explained Simply
PLA stands for polylactic acid, a polymer derived from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugarcane. On paper, it’s often described as “biodegradable,” a word that has been used too loosely in design and marketing. In truth, PLA doesn’t simply disappear in the environment. It requires specific conditions—industrial composting facilities, controlled temperatures, and microbial activity—to fully break down. Without those conditions, it can remain intact for hundreds of years, much like conventional plastics.
This complexity is why PLA has been both celebrated and criticized. Some industries have used it to greenwash products, giving consumers the impression that tossing a PLA cup into the trash is harmless. In reality, very few cities in North America have the infrastructure to compost PLA properly.
In places like San Francisco, Portland, and Toronto, municipal composting systems are beginning to manage PLA responsibly. But the reality is uneven. Many cities don’t yet have the facilities or the policies in place, which means PLA often ends up in landfills—undermining its promise of sustainability.
This unevenness is why Cyrc takes a different approach. We don’t leave the end of our products’ life to chance.
Closing the Loop Ourselves
At Cyrc, we welcome our pieces back when you’re ready to part with them. Through our take-back program, we recycle the material ourselves and transform it into new designs. This is not theory—it’s practice. Some of our most striking works, like those in the Monoprint Collection, are made from recycled PLA returned to us. Each object in that series carries the marks of its previous life, yet stands entirely renewed.
This process is what makes our use of PLA truly sustainable. We don’t rely on a municipal system that may or may not exist. We take responsibility for the material we introduce into the world.
Beyond Greenwashing
Material choice is never just technical—it’s cultural. PLA, when misrepresented, can lull people into believing sustainability is easy. But design should not hide complexity. It should embrace it. By being transparent about PLA’s strengths and limitations, we hope to raise the standard for how materials are discussed in the design world.
When you bring a Cyrc piece into your living room, you’re not just acquiring décor. You’re living with a philosophy. That vase or bowl has a past and a future, a story that stretches beyond your home. It’s an object designed with accountability, made from a material chosen not for convenience but for its potential to be reborn again and again.
