Teresa van Dongen

Eyes on Talents member, Teresa van Dongen, first studied biology, then graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven and started her own studio in 2014. Her background and interest in biology and science remains an inspiration for her design work. Teresa van Dongen has launched Aireal, a growing material library showing materials that capture CO2 in their production process. The materials were developed in the spirit of the circular economy, where waste does not exist and carbon dioxide is seen as a resource for the creation of the products that we will use tomorrow. As an exemple, Olivine is one of the most promising natural materials in the field of carbon capture. Without any human intervention, olivine can absorb CO2 up to a third of its weight. The carbon dioxide captured is locked in mineral form forever. Olivine is also cheap and abundant. CO2 Reacted olivine is the primary ingredient for novel materials such as concrete, paper or polymer.