Every year, 1.2 billion pairs of trainers are sold worldwide. Once they reach the end of their useful life, many of them will end up in landfills. While we won't save the planet by using faux leather for our Mario poufs, we are demonstrating a way to upcycle this difficult-to-recycle material. Each pouf is therefore unique, vibrant and visually striking. As with the entire Greenmood cork collection, our aim is to bring nature indoors while providing excellent acoustic properties.

The recycled version of the Mario pouf is made from cork typically sourced from production scraps of cork stoppers. This is blended with microfibres from used trainers, a material that is very difficult to recycle. The mixture is compressed and held together by around 2% synthetic resin. Available in white and black, the microfibre provides a modern contrast to the natural warmth of the cork, creating a distinctive blend of materials. Cork production has a very low environmental impact: the bark of the cork oak regenerates, promoting carbon sequestration while significantly supporting the local rural economy.

Striking and iconic, the Mario poufs bring a real sense of warmth to any space while evoking the white or black trainers from which some of their material is sourced. They pair beautifully with the other poufs in the Mario collection, whether made of natural cork or expanded smoked cork, to create vibrant, fresh ensembles.