The Brighton Effect: Sound thinking

Brighton graduate Tom Meades’ bright idea was creating portable loudspeakers from non-recyclable plastic waste – now it’s a thriving business.

Plastic waste makes up 85% of the pollution on our beaches, and every year the UK alone throws away 300 million kilos of flexible plastics which aren’t accepted by UK councils for recycling.

Thankfully, Tom Meades and his Brighton-based sustainable design studio, Gomi, have come up with a solution to prevent plastic bags, bubble wrap and pallet wrap all pouring into landfill or our oceans – by turning it into functional and beautiful customer products such as their trendy portable speakers.

Tom and his three business partners collect flexible plastics (low-density polyethylene or LDPE) from local businesses and beaches, melt it down, compress it and hand craft the speakers. “It takes 100 plastic bags to make one Gomi speaker,” explains Tom. “Every speaker has its own unique colour style, depending on the waste plastic we’ve used. And, we use only sustainable material on the inside, including 100% recycled denim for sound insulation. We’ve worked with audio professionals and electronics engineers to ensure the product is not only aesthetically desirable but also sounds great.”

Tom has developed a process that heats the plastic bags up just enough to make them malleable, but avoids burning the material — which releases toxic gases into the air. The body of the speaker is also completely recyclable, as the material can be melted down and remoulded, without losing its qualities. The brand is working to ensure that all of the electronic components can be recycled by other engineering and tech companies.

The innovative business idea won Tom one of the Santander Big Ideas Competition prizes last year, resulting in a visit to 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister’s business advisor. Not that Tom has forgotten where his inspiration came from: “When I was at the University of Brighton, the tutors on my 3D Design course were really helpful,” he says. “There are about 15 different tutors, all with different specialisms – textiles, ceramics, sustainability – and so they find a tutor best suited to your interests from day one. Dr Tom Ainsworth, Principal Lecturer at the School of Architecture and Design, was particularly supportive and inspiring to me.”

After a summer internship with a local Brighton technology company, Tom began to creatively push boundaries in his final year at university. “I remember looking at how we could use local wood material to create a zero-carbon product, and so I started prototyping speakers out of old school desks!”

With his interest in sustainable materials ignited, it wasn’t long after leaving university that he co-founded his design business. But why the name, Gomi (pronounced Go-Me)? “Gomi means rubbish or litter in Japanese,” says Tom. “And we’re really inspired by Japanese minimal design, so it was a perfect fit.

Meanwhile, Gomi continues to go from strength to strength. As well as the popular speakers, the company is currently collaborating with big brands, such as Desperados, on innovative ways they can work with the waste they produce. More products are in development too. “We’re hoping to have a portable power bank and a batch of new speakers by Christmas,” says Tom excitedly. “All made from the same waste material.”

Talk about plastic fantastic!

By Emma Taylor