Yerba Mate holder biobased in Chilean Patagonia

Yerba Mate holder biobased made in Chilean Patagonia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q4T6ubew9U

"Patagonia is a vast territory spanning Chile and Argentina, currently a climate refuge housing vast expanses of ecosystems; Nothofagus and macroalgae forests, large glaciers like the Patagonian Ice Field, peatlands, lakes, rivers, and the end of the Andes mountain range. Our product rescues iconic elements of the region: algae, sheep's wool, and yerba mate consumption.

Punta Arenas, the capital of Chilean Patagonia and a gateway to Antarctica, was discovered by Hernando de Magallanes in 1520. The Strait of Magellan is home to vast kelp forests, which are currently protected and estimated to have the capacity to "export" up to 17,500 tons of "blue carbon" considering a surface area of 120 km². These kelp forests are fundamental for imagining a sustainable future from a city as southern as Punta Arenas.

Yerba mate is a traditional infusion made from the leaves and branches of a native plant, cultivated in the subtropical forests of South America and widely consumed throughout Argentina and Chile. Drinking mate is a characteristic of the culture and tradition in Patagonia. Its consumption is associated with the hospitality of rural people, representing unity and sharing. It facilitates socialization and bonding, often in a group setting. This consumption always generates an organic residue that we use to develop our product; a yerba mate container.

With our product, we aim to promote local manufacturing with biomaterials and a territorial identity to start talking about the circular economy and the role of algae forests in climate change while enjoying mate!

**For People:**
Through workshops on the circular economy and biomaterials, we teach about the fundamental pillars of the circular economy and situate biomaterials within biological cycles. In this way, we raise awareness about climate change and offer hope by imagining sustainable futures for the community. Additionally, with our product, we aim to disseminate new materials that are necessary to connect more sensitively and consciously with our ecosystems, which are endangered by climate change.

**For the Planet:**
By observing nature, such as algae and fungi, we integrate biological processes in collaboration with scientific and design methods to optimize and/or develop low-carbon biomaterial manufacturing processes. The use of biological processes allows for efficiency and economy in the use of energy in the generation of 100% organic and biodegradable materials that nourish the earth, not pollute it. From this perspective, we believe that the most difficult thing to achieve in the transition to a circular economy is the regeneration of ecosystems.

**For the Benefit:**
From a design-for-transition perspective, our project focuses on creating sustainable solutions to the climate crisis. We not only seek to manufacture products but also to deliver a sustainable approach to imagining possible futures from Patagonia in complete symbiosis with ecosystems, leaving the Anthropocene behind to initiate a Symbiocene. "In this era of human-caused environmental challenges, we have to remember that human and non-human stories are part of the same set of investigative challenges." Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing

biobased yerba mate patagonia

https://www.instagram.com/circula.b/

Our work is based on a reflective, creative, and critical perspective, with the purpose of addressing environmental challenges from a "global and local" approach: recognizing the local and global urgency of restoring ecosystems. Inspired by the anthropologist Anna Tsing, who reminds us that human and non-human stories are intertwined, we seek to valorize the natural and cultural resources of our environment through biofabrication with local organic materials.

By developing biomaterials, such as the yerbero made from yerba mate waste, we promote a culture of circular economy that encourages non-pollution of ecosystems. These materials allow for a respectful interaction with nature by addressing the generation of waste and transforming it into aesthetically organic products. Our workshops on the circular economy and biomaterials invite the community to rethink their consumption practices, raising awareness about the positive impact that local manufacturing with territorial resources can have and its consequent low carbon footprint, contributing to the transition of Punta Arenas into a circular city.

Furthermore, our approach invites others to adopt practices that align with natural cycles, driving a shift towards production and consumption models that prioritize sustainability. Thus, we contribute not only to restoring ecosystems by reducing the dependence on polluting materials but also to inspiring communities and businesses to value the potential of the circular economy. We firmly believe that a southern design thinking contributes to the transition to a bioeconomy.