Kamilla and Sophia want to revolutionize our perspective on waste

07 January 2025 | SoKa Design Studio

• Focus on sustainability
• Design
• Home accessories

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Sophia Rytter Møller and Kamilla Strand-Holm Schmidt have co-founded the startup SoKa Design Studio, which transforms waste, such as ocean plastic, into beautiful and long-lasting products to inspire others to see value in waste materials.

"We want to create a movement where sustainability and innovation go hand in hand and change the entire consumer chain. People need to see the value in materials that would otherwise be discarded. Sustainability should be a part of everyone's everyday life," says Sophia Rytter Møller.

Ocean plastic is a global challenge that pollutes the world’s oceans and threatens wildlife. Plastic in the ocean binds chemicals that are harmful to both fish and shellfish – and thus to humans as well. According to figures from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), approximately 11 million tons of waste end up in the ocean each year, and along the western coast of Denmark alone, 1,000 tons of plastic waste wash up annually.

In addition to plastic pollution, the world also faces another global challenge: resource waste, as we live in a world with limited resources left. According to figures from the Tænketanken Global Footprint Network, Denmark had already exhausted its natural resources by March 28, 2023. If this reckless overconsumption of the Earth's resources continues, nature, biodiversity, the food chain, and ultimately humans are at risk. This is why it is more important than ever that we rethink the way we consume and produce. And this is exactly what SoKa Design Studio has set out to do.

The plan for the future is to transform more types of waste materials into aesthetic and functional products. Recycling waste has several advantages, says Kamilla Strand-Holm Schmidt.

"Not only do we reduce the amount of waste, but we also decrease the need for new raw materials. Our goal is to inspire others to see the potential in what is often just seen as waste," says Kamilla Strand-Holm Schmidt.

Read more about their journey and future plans here.