We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Alex Hell about their original and creative Biodegradable Tableware design work. Alex Hell is an award-winning creative designer, that makes our world a better place with their original biodegradable tableware works.
Alex Hell ("AH") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Bioplates Biodegradable Tableware. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
AH : To create a tableware piece that is not just biodegradable, but beautiful, durable, and scalable — replacing melamine and porcelain in outdoor hospitality without compromising experience or sustainability.
AH : To prove that sustainability can perform. We wanted to develop a product that would withstand real-world pressures — heat, cleaning, handling — and still decompose cleanly at the end of life.
AH : We plan to expand the Bioplates line into bowls, trays, and takeaway items, and scale its adoption across sustainable hotels globally.
AH : Over 24 months, from initial concept to validated product. Including prototyping, testing, redesigning molds, and field-testing in real hotel environments. But the research for the material stated 5 years ago.
AH : It was initiated internally, based on insights gathered over five editions of the Sustainability in Gastronomy Award we organize annually. These events brought us closer to the operational and environmental challenges faced by top-tier restaurants and hotels — especially around the lack of viable alternatives to melamine in outdoor service, and the growing concern with the end-of-life of ceramic ware, which cannot be easily recycled. We recognized a pressing need to anticipate a future problem: the unsustainable production and accumulation of non-recyclable ceramic pieces. At the same time, we saw an opportunity to develop a more responsible, elegant, and functional material specifically suited for poolside and beach environments. Bioplates was born from that convergence of insight, urgency, and responsibility.
AH : We produce it ourselves through Studioneves, under full control of quality, sustainability, and storytelling.
AH : Because we realized no one else had solved it well. There was a clear gap between ecological responsibility and aesthetic performance in professional tableware.
AH : Yes, minimalist Japanese ceramics and Bauhaus principles influenced our balance of function and form. Also, real-world input from chefs and hotel managers.
AH : Sustainable luxury hotels, high-end resorts, beach clubs, and conscious hospitality operators.
AH : Its combination of industrial resistance, biodegradable material, aesthetic minimalism, and carbon-negative impact — all in one plate.
AH : "Bioplates" expresses exactly what it is: plates made from bio-based materials. Clear, honest, and descriptive.
AH : We used CADThe fact that it behaves like porcelain in service — but disappears like a leaf in nature. for 3D modeling, handmade mockups, casting prototypes, and real-world dishwashing/life-cycle testing in hospitality settings.
AH : The fact that it behaves like porcelain in service — but disappears like a leaf in nature.
AH : Yes, we worked with a biotechnology research lab at the University of Aveiro, as well as expert mold engineers and chefs.
AH : Technology enabled us to develop, test, and refine the biopolymer, injection molding techniques, and validate long-term dishwasher resistance.
AH : Absolutely. We conducted impact studies, dishwasher tests (7000 cycles), biodegradability tests (TÜV Austria certified), and chef feedback loops.
AH : Controlling the behavior of a bio-based material in high heat and pressure conditions, and achieving the right balance between flexibility, thickness, and elegance.
AH : Because we believe Bioplates is not just a product — it represents a paradigm shift. A’ Design Award offers the global platform we needed to make it visible.
AH : We learned to listen deeper — to the material, to the constraints, and to our clients’ real needs. We also refined our mold engineering and sustainability metrics.
AH : Only that we see Bioplates as a beginning — not a conclusion. It’s a first step toward a new standard in circular design for everyday hospitality.
