4 KAPOK 5 COMPOSITES This is hair fibre from the seed of the kapok tree, which grows in rainforests. It is produced when the trees flower, so harvesting stops them being chopped down. The soft fibre is used as an alternative to down as filling in mattresses, pillows, upholstery and for insulation. SECOND LIFE Buying materials that have been created with waste products stops millions of tonnes of refuse reaching landfills each year. There's a huge range of products that are created by mixing waste from production processes with bonding agents to create a new usable item. This could be woodchips turned into eco-oriented strand boards (known as OSB), which can then be used for building or furniture; crushed stone or glass mixed with resins and turned into kitchen or bathroom worktops; or wood fibres mixed with polythene made from recycled plastic bottles and bags, which is then turned into eco composite decking boards for the garden. 34 | NOVEMBER 2015