Hualien Driftwood Recycling and Circular Reuse

🌲Driftwood Regeneration × Circular Seedling Pot Design Project

Hualien Forest District Office, Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency × Tune n Turn Co., Ltd.

When typhoons strike, driftwood gathers across coastlines, riverbanks, and forests.For years, these fragments of nature were seen only as debris — something to clear, to dispose of, to forget.But every piece once stood as part of a forest, shaped by wind, rain, and time.It carries a story.

Guided by the Hualien Forest District Office of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, and in collaboration with the design team at Tune n Turn Co., Ltd., this project reframes driftwood not as waste, but as a resource waiting to be rediscovered.

Through design, we return value to what was overlooked.Through circular thinking, we help forests heal.

Together, we initiate the innovation project:Driftwood Circular Reuse × Ecological Seedling Pot Application —transforming reclaimed driftwood into biodegradable seedling pots that eventually return to the soil, nourishing new life within the forests they once belonged to.

Because sustainability is not only about reducing waste —it is about remembering the stories behind every resource,and allowing nature to begin again.

✅ Project Goals

This project begins with a simple belief —that every natural resource deserves respect, and every material has the potential to live more than one life.

To achieve this, we set forth the following goals:

1️⃣ Transform driftwood from post-typhoon debris into renewed value — shifting the perspective from waste management to resource regeneration.

2️⃣ Develop ecological seedling pots that return to the earth — using materials that biodegrade and nourish new forest growth instead of generating long-term waste.

3️⃣ Build a model of circular design rooted in local culture and forestry — where material innovation, environmental stewardship, and design thinking work together rather than separately.

4️⃣ Create a collaborative ecosystem — connecting forestry agencies, local processors, academic partners, and design innovators to ensure sustainable development beyond a single project.

These goals move in a single direction —not only reducing environmental burden,but helping nature complete its cycle in a more thoughtful way.

From driftwood to growth.From the forest, back to the forest.

1. 🔹 Driftwood → Regenerated Material → Biodegradable Seedling Pots

   🔹 Designed for forestry, returned to the forest

   🔹 1-year durability ｜ 2-year complete decomposition

   🔹 A circular alternative to plastic nursery pots

   
   

🔬 Technical Highlights

✅ Driftwood is crushed, dried, and carbonized, then blended with plant-based materials to form pellets

Transforming post-disaster driftwood into a stable and moldable regenerative material.

✅ No incineration and no long-term storage — the material can return to the forest and fully decompose with zero residue

Completing a true circular cycle without generating secondary waste.

✅ Material verified through initial outdoor field tests — proven suitable for forestry environments

Durable during seedling cultivation, while still capable of breaking down naturally after soil integration.

✅ Expandable to additional applications: forestry tableware, packaging materials, identification tags, and more

A scalable material platform supporting the development of low-impact forestry products.

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🌍 Social & Environmental Impact

This project is designed not only to solve a materials challenge,but to generate long-term value for society, forestry, and the environment.

▪ Reduce the use of single-use plastics in forestry operations

By replacing traditional nursery pots and tools with biodegradable alternatives.

▪ Increase circular reuse of driftwood resources

Transforming post-disaster residues into meaningful and scalable material applications.

▪ Establish a demonstrative model for the redesign of forestry by-products

Proving that material innovation and sustainable forestry can reinforce one another through circular design.

▪ Serve as an indicator case for green public procurement and ESG implementation

Providing a practical reference for governmental sustainability programs and corporate environmental action.

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🛠 Role of Tune n Turn Co., Ltd.

▪ Material research and compound formulation testing

Developing stable regenerative materials through iterative blending of driftwood and plant-based components.

▪ Modular design development and prototype production

Creating product forms optimized for forestry use, durability, and biodegradation.

▪ Biodegradability verification in collaboration with laboratory partners

Ensuring that materials return to the soil safely and without residue.

▪ Field testing and localization for forestry applications

Evaluating product performance in real nursery environments and adapting based on user and site feedback.

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