ypcs
Year
2022
YPCS - designing permanence through nature’s leftovers
Your Personal Carbon Storage (YPCS) is a collection of 3D-printed objects that store atmospheric carbon and reframe our relationship with material waste. Developed using a bio-based plastic mixed with powdered mussel shells—byproducts from the seafood industry—these objects serve both as poetic reminders of the food cycle and as functional containers for personal items.
Each YPCS object offers a tactile, personal experience of climate-conscious design. They are physical reminders that sustainability can be intimate, emotional—and beautiful.
This mussel-based PLA was used to produce a series of compact, sculptural objects—small containers for juwellery—designed with generative algorithms that mimic organic forms. The digital models were developed using AI-driven generative tools, which allowed us to experiment with forms that referenced natural growth patterns—spires, folds, cavities—that resonate with the mussels’ own geometry.
Each piece we printed is made from a custom 3D-printable material developed during our research into sustainable aquaculture. Mussels naturally absorb carbon dioxide from the ocean and store it in their calcium-rich shells. When discarded after consumption, this carbon is typically re-released into the environment. But if reclaimed, these shells can act as long-term carbon storage.
YPCS invites us to rethink the lifespan of everyday objects.
In a world where consumption is constant and waste is invisible, this project asks: what if our belongings didn’t just store memories, but stored carbon too?
technical facts
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Team: Nataly Khadziakova & Katya Bryskina
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Material: Francofil mussel PLA
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Object type: Small storage pieces, home artifacts
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Carbon role: Each object passively stores CO₂ captured by mussels during their growth