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Tom is co-founder of Brighton-based sustainable , which has this week announced the launch of ‘collection one’, a limited series of portable Bluetooth speakers made from waste plastic and second-life e-bike batteries.

Tom came up with the idea for the portable speakers as part of a project while studying for a degree in 3D Design and Craft BA(Hons) at the Â̲èÖ±²¥, and set up gomi soon after graduating in 2017. Today, he is Chief Design Officer of a successful and growing business in the city’s North Laine.

Tom Meades

Creating beautiful design out of waste

Gomi’s new ‘collection one’ will give new life to over six tonnes of waste material. Featuring a rectangular body and available in three colourways which have been inspired by artworks, each speaker is made from the equivalent of 45 plastic bags and reused lithium batteries from e-bikes.

All handmade in Brighton, each speaker is totally unique. The brand’s signature marbling pattern means every speaker will have its own distinctive aesthetic; no two speakers, even in the same colourway, will ever be like for like. To highlight this, each speaker will feature a unique edition number as part of the limited release.

Tom Meades, co-founder and Chief Design Officer at gomi, said: “gomi pulls its inspiration from two worlds – the art world, with loud, vibrant colourful expression mixed with a rule-breaking spirit, and the design world, bringing minimalism, function and clean polished finishes. We think of our aesthetic as a collision between Dieter Rams and Picasso and it’s the fine balance between the two that can be seen in ‘collection one’. Our obsession with circularity underpins this, taking the lead at every step in our design process. Every material and design decision is filtered through our thinking 'can it be repaired easily, can it be recycled easily?' – this is why we're anti-glue, pro-modularity, and proudly repair-for-life. At gomi we are proving that there is a process to recycling properly, that we can create exciting products from waste, and bring beauty and individuality into tech.”

Speaking about his time studying at Â̲èÖ±²¥, Tom said:

"The course I studied was fantastic in pushing me to explore working with many different types of materials and processes, from handmade craft ceramics to digital design and product-engineering software. It also helped develop challenging ideas about the world today and how we can use design to shape the future world tomorrow.

“On 3D Design and Craft, the course concentrates more on the research and development of the person's interests. This was very helpful for me in finding my real passion – to redesign consumer tech to be sustainable. But there is no pressure to follow any strict path, just find your best path.”

Since graduating and devoting his time to his business, Tom has returned to the Â̲èÖ±²¥ on several occasions as a visiting lecturer on design courses. He said: "It's awesome to see the students looking at our products as a reference point now in their work!"

Circular design philosophy

Despite rising consumer awareness, corporate attention and regulation, there is more single-use virgin plastic than ever before. Flexible plastic (LDPE) such as bubble wrap, food packaging and plastic bags account for ​​290,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year. Not currently recycled by councils in the UK, the flexible plastic waste is destined for landfill.

gomi has developed an innovative process and artisanal approach to repurposing flexible plastics into collectible products that last. Working with local recycling companies, gomi sources raw material from waste streams that would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated and is able to process this into a raw material which uses traditional craft techniques alongside modern manufacturing to result in unique statement pieces.

Tom's company also offers a repairs-for-life return service to ensure its speakers never need to be thrown away unnecessarily. For Tom, tech should last a lifetime, and never end up in landfill.

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