Thomas Woltmann

Department: Man and Leisure
Website: www.thomaswoltmann.com

THE VALUE OF ORIGIN

WHAT
A new production principle that reflects the origin of the used materials, making the global supply chain more transparent and responsible.

WHY
The raw materials for today’s products come from all across the globe, yet their origin often remains unknown. We miss out on the true story behind a product. Thomas Woltmann has designed a formula that visualises the journey of its components.

HOW
His formula relates the quantity of the sourced material to the distance it has travelled. The closer the origin, the more you see of it; materials that come from far constitute a smaller part. Applied to a series of wooden ladders, the method calls to mind trees from all over the world.

QUOTE
There’s an alienating gap between raw materials and the end product. 114