GREENGRADS: The Waste Warriors - Support the Next Generation at the Yorkton Workshop, London Showcase
“Each of our Green Grads – and we now have 250 listed on our website – has their unique suggested way of dealing with the environmental challenges the world faces today. “Research by the British Retail Consortium shows that consumers/clients now put sustainability right at the top of their buying criteria.” Barbara Chandler
Image Credit: Peerasin Hutaphaet. GROWinK
GREEN GRADS at YORKTON WORKSHOPS
GREEN GRADS is kindly sponsored in*part by Texintel Global Partners, FESPA and Epson UK
GREEN GRADS at YORKTON WORKSHOPS: Weekend 15/16 November 2025
Waste becomes a valuable resource in the hands of the GREEN GRADS*
Yorkton Workshops, 1-3 Yorkton Street, London E2 8NH
Saturday November 15th: 11am to 7pm | Sunday November 16th: 11am to 6pm | Admission free: no need to book
Sponsored by Pearson Lloyd | *GREEN GRADS is a platform for new graduates with ideas to heal the planet.
Green Grads: Meet the Waste Warriors Healing the Planet
Creative use of waste is the main preoccupation for *GREEN GRADS at YORKTON WORKSHOPS, the popular November show of eco-projects from 25 recent graduates of UK universities. This unique spread of talent is returning for the second time to the elegant gallery of Pearson Lloyd design practice in East London for the weekend November 15/16.
As we confront the realities of climate change, resource depletion, and a global waste crisis, the imperative to innovate has never been more urgent. The responsibility—and the opportunity—falls on the next generation of creative minds to forge a new path forward. This is where Green Grads, a trailblazing platform for the UK’s most forward-thinking graduates, is making its mark.
This November, Green Grads returns to the elegant Yorkton Workshops in Hackney, London, with "The Waste Warriors," an exhibition showcasing 25 recent graduates who are transforming waste into a valuable resource. These young innovators are not just designing products; they are redesigning systems, challenging conventions, and offering tangible solutions to some of the world's most pressing environmental problems.
This event is more than a graduate show. It is a call to action for the entire design industry to engage with, support, and champion the eco-visionaries who are shaping a more sustainable future. By turning waste into wonder, these graduates demonstrate that a circular economy is not a distant dream but an achievable reality.
The Alchemists of the Circular Economy
The core theme of the exhibition is the creative and radical reuse of waste. From discarded electronics to agricultural by-products, the projects on display offer a powerful counter-narrative to our throwaway culture. These graduates are the new alchemists, turning seemingly worthless materials into objects of beauty, utility, and profound significance. Their work challenges us to reconsider what we define as "waste" and reveals the immense potential locked within the materials we discard.
This year's showcase features amongst others, innovations within the printed textiles and colour, inks industries, alongside groundbreaking developments in biomaterials and product design.
Reinventing Textiles and Colour
The textile and print industries are notorious for their environmental impact, from petrochemical inks that entomb materials to the harmful synthetics used in fashion. Several Green Grads are tackling these issues head-on, developing sustainable alternatives that could revolutionise production.
GROWinK by Peerasin Hutaphet
Peerasin Hutaphet is directly challenging the permanence of modern printing with GROWinK, a living ink. This remarkable innovation merges fungi pigments with soil-safe bacteria to create biodegradable images on paper, fabric, and even plastics. Instead of preserving waste, GROWinK transforms colour into a biological system that actively decomposes it. Peerasin’s work turns static communication into a dynamic ecological cycle—printing not for permanence, but for life and disappearance.
Amber Fry’s Natural Dye Alchemy
For seven years, Amber Fry has cultivated over 20 plant varieties on her Kent allotment, reviving a "lost world of colour alchemy." Her project, Plot 24, features a collection of 100% naturally-dyed British wool textiles. By fusing ancient knowledge with a deep understanding of botany and harvesting, Amber produces a vivid colour palette that dispels the myth that natural dyes are limited to "peach and beige." Her work champions decentralised, sustainable production, creating high-quality textiles from seed to cloth.
Seaweed Fibres and Dyes by Jenna Handley
In Cornwall, Jenna Handley is harnessing the power of the ocean. She is developing seaweed into a regenerative biomaterial and a source for natural dyes. Working with local knitters, she is reviving traditional patterns like the Cornish Gansey sweaters. Seaweed grows rapidly, sequesters carbon, and requires no fresh water or arable land. Jenna’s project is a powerful example of how local resources and heritage can drive regeneration.
From Waste Wool to Wonder
The British wool industry faces a crisis, with fleeces often fetching less than the cost of shearing. Two graduates are proving that this overlooked natural fibre has high-performance potential far beyond traditional textiles.
WoolTech by Hinna Khan
Hinna Khan is tackling the e-waste crisis by creating circuit boards from waste wool. Wool is naturally conductive, fire-retardant, and water-repellent. By mixing it with a milk-based substrate, Hinna creates a solid board that can be laser-etched with conductive paths. Components can be soldered on with a water-based solution and later removed by simply placing the board in water, creating an infinitely reusable PCB. Her project brilliantly questions the throwaway design of modern electronics.
3D Printing with Wool by Iestyn Howorth
Also addressing waste wool, Iestyn Howorth has invented a 3D printer for compacted wool waste, opening up new possibilities for creating small items and components from this abundant and undervalued resource.
Innovating with Discarded Materials
Across the exhibition, graduates demonstrate ingenious ways to repurpose a vast array of waste materials, from cigarette butts to shellfish.
Acoustic Panels by Salma Garana
Salma Garana is tackling the 700 billion unused cigarette filters incinerated annually by blending them with British wool to create effective acoustic panels, turning a toxic waste stream into a valuable architectural material.
Ceramics from Ash by Neve Beill
Ceramicist Neve Beill has developed a unique glaze from cigarette ash collected from local pubs. She uses it on vessels made from clay excavated from a local construction site, proving that beautiful ceramics can be made entirely from repurposed materials.
Tableware from Shellfish by Ollie Stroud
Ollie Stroud addresses waste from the seafood industry by transforming waste shellfish debris into striking tableware, creating a new material stream from a common by-product.
Furniture from Urban Foraging by Charley Softley
Charley Softley’s quirky furniture pieces are assembled from materials she finds "urban foraging" around Brighton. A chair made from discarded bike parts and another built from fragments of other chairs carry a powerful message: "What are you consuming and why? And what are the consequences?"
Why We Must Support the Next Generation
Green Grads was founded in 2021 by design journalist Barbara Chandler to provide a platform for UK graduates with ideas to heal the planet. Now in its fifth cohort and with a network of 250 alumni, the initiative has become a vital force for change. It connects a new generation of eco-activists with the industry, media, and public, giving them the exposure and confidence needed to turn their visionary projects into viable enterprises.
The work of these graduates is not merely academic. It represents the future of the design industry—a future that is circular, regenerative, and profoundly hopeful. They are proving that sustainability and creativity are not mutually exclusive; they are, in fact, inextricably linked. By supporting them, we invest in a world where design is a solution, not a problem.
The design industry has a unique opportunity to lead the transition to a more sustainable world. Attending "The Waste Warriors" is a chance to witness the vanguard of this movement, to be inspired by their ingenuity, and to find collaborators who can help your own organisation innovate.
We urge you to join us, to engage with these brilliant minds, and to become part of the solution.
Visit the Exhibition
GREEN GRADS at YORKTON WORKSHOPS
Weekend 15/16 November 2025
Location:
Yorkton Workshops, 1-3 Yorkton Street, London E2 8NH
Opening Times:
Saturday, November 15th: 11am to 7pm
Sunday, November 16th: 11am to 6pm
Admission is free and no booking is required.
* GREEN GRADS was founded in 2021 by design editor and curator Barbara Chandler, joined shortly by Michael Czerwinski as codirector/show producer. GREEN GRADS present their own shows – four major annual exhibitions so far - and are invited into numerous other events – such as the GNCCF
There are now 250 GREEN GRADS listed on their website www.greengrads.co.uk, with ongoing news on Instagram @greengradsuk
