Padlangs - The ubiquitous plastic chair

Being on the road often gives me time to ponder things – past, present and future. And I make a habit of stopping at least once or twice on a journey to chat to people and hear their tales and to visit interesting, often forgotten places. In Padlangs, I share some of the thoughts and stories collected along the way.

Whenever I travel through Namibia, there is one item which I always see wherever I go, whether along the roadside, outside a church, school or shebeen, under a tree awaiting an indaba or being kept warm by a security guard in Windhoek on a long day-shift – and that is the omnipresent plastic chair. Comfortable, affordable and lightweight, plastic chairs have become the answer to everyone’s seating dilemmas – and as an added bonus, they can be easily picked up and carried to the next destination.

Chairs have changed over the centuries, depicting cultural preferences, usefulness and advancements in technology. Historically, some cultures have preferred to sit on the floor on mats and others to carve thrones. There are records of chairs already in existence in ancient Egypt in 3000BC. It is said that the Chinese were the first to make the change from floor- to chair-sitting, although chairs only became widespread in China in the 12th century. In Europe, the chair ceased being an item of status and became a standard item of furniture during the Renaissance period in the 15th and 16th centuries. Stools were some of the earliest and simplest chairs used in many cultures and they had a variety of uses. They were followed by ‘backstools’, a stool with a straight board for the sitter’s back. In Africa, wooden chairs carved in two pieces, with a backrest (often with creative designs) and a seat, serve a similar purpose. People sat on stools, benches and chests until chairs came into use. Chairs have evolved with much diversity over the centuries and today include swivel chairs, rocking chairs, armchairs, couches and loungers. Chairs tell many stories – about our different cultures and our attitude to comfort, practicality and status.

It is interesting to know that our well-known plastic ‘monobloc’ (meaning ‘made in one piece’) chair - often described as ‘the world’s most common plastic chair’ and ‘the furniture equivalent to rubber flip-flops’ - only took off in the 1980s. But, the quest for affordable furniture began long before. It had come to the world’s attention - or at least to the United States furniture industry - that while there was much attention to provide affordable housing, there was minimal attention placed on affordable furniture. A dinner was held on 23 October 1947, bringing leaders in the furniture industry together, an event that heralded the International Competition for Low-Cost Furniture Design. This birthed the curvilinear ‘shell’ chair, made by Charles and Ray Eames, that became the popular plastic-fibreglass shell chair with metal legs that filled many a classroom and cafeteria.

Although sources differ on detail, credit for the first monobloc chair (including legs) is given to DC Simpson, who in 1946 designed a chair with a narrow back and tapered legs. 

Designers had attempted to create a chair from a single piece of material since the 1920s, but it was only in the 1960s that the availability of synthetic materials made mass-production possible. The monobloc chairs are made from thermoplastic polypropylene by heating the granules to 220 degrees Celsius and injecting them into a mould. In 1972 Henry Massonnet improved the manufacturing process, reducing the production time and hence the cost to create our well-used stackable, lightweight plastic chairs. And the design was further enhanced by the Allibert and Grosfillex groups, who produced the ubiquitous plastic chair with armrests and back-support that is familiar to all of us today.

The plastic chair soon became a hit across the world. Nearly a billion chairs were sold in Europe alone. Their popularity spread to Africa and southern Africa where they offered easy, affordable comfortable seating, especially in rural areas where they made a huge impact. Chairs, in general, provide elevation that denotes authority, and have historically served as a symbol of status. They still carry this symbolism in Africa where at any meeting or celebration, chairs are first given to tribal elders, headmen and kings – and it is a mark of respect when a chair is offered to a guest. The introduction of the plastic chair made comfortable seating available for everyone. Lightweight, the chairs can be carried where needed, whether to the river or to a meeting, and they are often seen being transported across the country by various means, including bicycle, bakkie and motorbike. I have even seen them tied down and used on the back of bakkies to provide additional seating. They are kept in use for as long as possible, with inventive methods used to repair broken arms or legs. With a bit of innovation parts of them can be upcycled and reused, as a seat for a child’s toy or as a road sign. And, of course, there is no-one like a security guard, often leaning against a tree or a wall, who can sit that chair into the ground!

With all its uses, there is a flip side to the plastic chair. Mass production also means massive plastic waste and there comes the time when the chairs have passed their lifespan and lie discarded littering the landscape. And, like any piece of plastic waste, they become an environmental hazard. 

The challenge for our generation, which is increasingly realising the sensitivity of the planet and how important it is to be environmentally responsible, is to find ways to recycle our plastic chairs. The next step for the designers is to create a sustainable chair - and designers are presently putting heads together to create the first monobloc eco-friendly chairs with renewable raw materials like plant fibre. 

The journey of the monobloc chair continues . . .