British designer Jane Atfield first created her iconic RCP2 chair in 1992. Made from recycled high density polyethylene board made from plastic bottles, the chair has a multi-coloured speckled surface that almost appears to be painted. The board was made by pressing and heating plastic chips and utilises bottles of sunscreen, shampoo and washing up liquid gathered by Atfield from community collection points. Atfield's design paved the way for the use of recycled plastic.

Atfield was inspired by Gerrit Rietveld’s Military Side Chair (1923) commenting, ‘during my time studying furniture design at the RCA in the early 1990s, I was looking for ways to connect furniture with wider political issues when I came across a sample of recycled plastic that a friend had picked up at a New York trade fair. Made by Yemm and Hart of Missouri, the material transformed post-consumer plastics such as shampoo and detergent bottles into sheet construction materials. I saw the potential for using this material - the ever-growing mounds of plastic waste around us - to construct furniture and other everyday items.’ Commenting on design at that time, she observed, ‘in the 90s, eco-design was somewhat marginalized and often seen as an eccentricity or a leftover from the hippy movement. At that time, the emphasis was on status and style-driven design, which I felt alienated from. Both furniture design and the plastics industry were very male dominated in the 90s as well, which was also alienating! Stumbling upon the American recycled plastic sample became a really exciting opportunity and led to a decade-long research project pioneering and developing recycled plastics in the UK. The demand for plastics is still growing, with less than 10% being recycled worldwide despite the well-documented, drastic effects on our health and the health of the planet.’

Atfield went on to found Made of Waste, an 'agency for recycled materials'.