“Invitrum base units are the utmost expression of eco-sustainable design.” Phrases like this one normally make me numb, chock full of correctness and corporate speak. But as I read the press release and dug deeper I realized that these kitchen base units were more than a little special. For one, they actually appealed to me at an aesthetic level first, it’s mostly see-through glass, and though cleaning might be a problem, or scratching, it is nice to be able to see all your utensils and kitchen paraphernalia. But in glass you also have a material that is fully recyclable, inert (no toxic emissions) and able to resist water, steam and heat. Glass in the kitchen works, I have a set of 20 year old Corning Glass Visions Cookware that’s still going strong to this day.

Valcucine is big enough that they can do some serious research and development, as they did for the materials for Invitrum, it’s the first ever base unit made of 100% recyclable glass. The frame that holds the glass parts together is made of recycled aluminum, which in itself is an energy saver, as it takes just 5% of the energy needed to make the original aluminum. The relative strength of the glass and the aluminum also means that the it takes less of it to make sturdy cabinets. For example Invitrum side panels are 10mm thick versus the 36mm of chipboard found in traditional base units. And there’s no glue, everything is held together with mechanical joints, making them easy to dismantle.

The company appears to be committed to respecting the four main tenets of “eco-compatibility”, here’s the list from their website:

1) Durability so that the consumption of raw materials and energy required to supply the same item again is postponed to the far future. The Invitrum base units’ system is practically indestructible; it does not swell with water and does not become unglued due to heat.

2) The project must be as dematerialised as possible to consume less raw materials and energy. The Invitrum base units’ system replaces double side panels that are normally 18+18 mm (total of 36mm) with a single, 10mm glass panel.

3) Reduction of toxic emissions: Invitrum abolishes all uses of glues because it is assembled by means of mechanical joints only; this results in zero emissions of formaldehyde. Moreover, the use of an inert material such as glass cancels any toxic emissions.

4) Make the product as recyclable as possible: this does not mean using only recyclable materials or, better still, recycled and recyclable materials but also that the various materials used are easy to identify and separate; e.g. if two different recyclable materials are glued together it becomes difficult to re-utilize them.

Apparently, Valcucine is even testing a recycled material for the base unit back panels made of recycled food packaging (Tetra Pak). Looks good. See more here: valcucine.it.